Narrative in oil

Brother and Sister, by Han Yuchen, 2009, 135x120cm.

The exhibition examines how painters in Central China - including two cities and four provinces - integrate oil paints with the region's rustic texture and deep-seated traditions.

Members of the organizing oil art council under the China Artists Association say they did not select works that were perfect, but sought to underline the artists diverse expressions of human nature.

Dai Shihe, director of the oil painting department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says more painters have learned to use delicate brushwork, and have moved away from the highly stylized approaches that dominated Chinese oil painting for decades.

"Artists are less superior and their works are more down-to-earth. The art community has sought to incorporate talented people and creative ideas from the grassroots," he says.

The exhibition doesn't intend to dodge the immaturity in presentation and influences of commercialization that some of the works on display have fallen victim to.

"Many works are deficient in profiling and color application, which indicates a lack of extensive understanding of oil painting's temperament," says Shang Hui, managing editor of CAA's monthly magazine Fine Arts.

The exhibition also shows the impact of commercialized tastes, for example, many of the paintings are large in size, and many embrace similar motifs, such as migrant workers and xiaoqingxin girls (loosely translated as young women who are inspired by good literary works).