Two Birds (2016) by Lee ChengmingThe brushstrokes we are familiar with in Chinese art take a contemporary look in a series of paintings at the China Cultural Centre.
The exhibition Art from the Heart, open until Tuesday, bridges traditional and contemporary and also Mainland China with Taiwan.
Chinese art often involves the artist dipping the brush in water, ink or coloured pigment and painting on silk, rice paper, cotton cloth or brocade.
The brushstrokes illustrate rhythm and the harmony of nature, with particular focus on artistic mood and human emotion.
The artists also try to highlight the Chinese understanding of nature, society and related issues such as politics, philosophy, religion, morality and culture.
This is the first time that the China Cultural Friendship Association invited artists from across the strait to jointly show their work in an exhibition.
The artists are Wang Yingchun, Chiang Mingshyan, Yang Lizhou, and Lee Chengming and all four have their own distinctive style, have perfected their technique by building on older methods and are constantly exploring new artistic forms and brushwork techniques within a traditional Chinese cultural context.
Their work, sharing a spiritual essence and cultural identity, celebrates a cross-strait friendship.
■ The exhibition Art from the Heart: Group Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Painting is being held at the China Cultural Centre on Melita Street in Valletta. It will remain open until Tuesday and entrance is free between 9am and 12.30pm, and from 2.30pm until 5pm between Monday and Friday.
Mt Snow, Mali (2016) by Chiang Mingshyan
Zhong Kui Married Off His Sister (1988) by Two Birds (2016) by Lee Chengming Yang Lizhou. Right: Offer Flowers (2012) by Lee Chengming.
Xiang Yu Parted with Lady Yu (1990) by Yang Lizhou. RIght: Sweet Potato and Lily (2008) by Lee Chengming.