Just in time for the 67th anniversary of India's Republic Day, an exhibition of paintings of Indian scenery by veteran Chinese painter Wang Zhijie is currently on display at the Indian Consulate in Shanghai. 

The exhibition showcases 30 works by Wang, who visited India in 2009 as the leader of the Sino-Indian "Go to India" initiative, which included 24 Chinese artists.

"I was deeply moved by everything I had seen, heard, touched, felt and learned," said Wang, who has dedicated the past six years to painting 30 works of Indian scenery and its people.

Key pieces include The Banks of Varanasi, A Walk in the Market and The Street of Bombay, which are colorful vignettes of those distinct and historic locales. A watercolor impression of Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is another highlight.

While his art has been previously displayed in galleries around Shanghai, Wang specifically donated one set of 30 lithographs to the Indian Consulate in Shanghai.

Following the exhibit in Shanghai, Wang's paintings may be taken to other cities across eastern China region as part of the upcoming India Culture Week.

Wang studied with Xu Beihong and graduated from the first class of the Department of  Painting in Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1953.

The consulate exhibition will be open for public viewing until February 28 at the Consulate General of India, Shanghai International Trade Center, 2201 Yan'an Road West, between 11 am to 5 pm.

Global Times

Paintings displayed at the exhibition

 

Indian Consul General Prakash Gupta speaks with the son of Wang Zhijie.

 

Book cover of Impressions of India by Wang Zhijie

Photos: Courtesy of the consulate

 
Newspaper headline: Impressions of India