Hangzhou dancers perform in Cairo

Chinese artists learn by copying old masters

Alive with color

He used oil paints to present colors and shades while depicting intricate details with the skills of traditional realistic Chinese painting. He placed his subjects against an almost blank background, another distinctive feature of traditional Chinese painting, offering more room for the audience's imagination.

In addition to urban stories, another recurring theme in his work is the pastoral life of China's ethnic groups.

The paintings "were inspired by the sweet recall of my past rural life", said Wang, who was born in Central China's Hunan province in 1957.

"Compared to urban hustle and bustle, I prefer a simple rural life where one can find such precious traits as plainness, diligence and kind-heartedness, a place closer to nature and the essence of life."

One example is his Cookie, evocative of life in his home province.

The oil painting portrays a woman dressed in ethnic costumes feeding part of a cookie to her child with a loving gaze. A basket-carrying woman smilingly holds an umbrella for them - a scene of love and peace in rural China.

Wang's works have gained in popularity and been exhibited in China, the United States, Chile, Japan, Mexico and Spain. One of his latest exhibitions, The Other Side of the Earth, is expected to open at the Muscatine Art Center in Iowa in March.

Many of his paintings are held in both private and public collections including the China National Museum of Fine Arts, the University of Colorado and the Ohio State House.

Contact the writer at lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn