Friendship on canvas

An art exhibition featuring the work of Luo Yi kicks off at the Slovakian ambassador’s residence in Beijing on March 15.

From 1956-1960, as one of the earliest Chinese students to be sent overseas, Luo Yi studied oil painting and portraits in Slovakia, which was known then as Czechoslovakia. Mr Luo depicted people’s lives and typical scenery in the European country with a Chinese perspective and got some idea of the local culture during his stay. Upon his return to China, Luo Yi used the technique he had acquired over the four years to paint the lives of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

Luo’s artwork has been displayed in Slovakia and other European countries over the past decades. The 40-plus paintings on display at the ambassador’s residence are like a “friendship bridge” between China and Slovakia, according to Frantisek Dlhopolcek, the Slovakian ambassador to China.

Open to invited guests only, the exhibition will last one month.