Flutist, oil on canvas by Chen Yifei.

Though Realism is popular among the general public, it has its critics, says Zhang Kun in Shanghai, who reports on a new show at the Long Museum.

Despite the heavyweight artworks and big name artists, Long Museum's new exhibition has met with challenges from critics.

Experiencing Simplicity: Realistic Paintings from Long Collection in Shanghai's Pudong will be held until Aug 30.

It showcases more than 50 works created by Chinese Realist artists such as Jin Shangyi, Chen Danqing, Yang Feiyun, and Chen Yifei.

The artists include respected professors and those who have fetched record prices at auctions, while many of the paintings are familiar works because of media exposure.

Yet Jia Fangzhou, curator of the show, says organizing the exhibition was a risk since Realism is frequently criticized by contemporary art critics for being little more than photographic replicas, like the portrait of a flutist by Chen Yifei.

Lyu Peng, a critic, once challenged artist Leng Jun on his meticulous painting style and asked, "What's the point?"

Jia defends Leng by saying that the artist's obsessive attention to detail may seem unnecessary, yet have strong expressive power.

"Leng's art achieves an explosive power of expression," Jia contends.

Wang Yidong, one of the exhibited artists, attended the opening and said Realistic art embodies the Chinese philosophy of harmony and moderation.

These paintings are accessible to audiences, but have distinctive artistic personalities at the same time.

"You can read in them the connection between heritage and individuality. Read deeply and you will know it's never easy to achieve that," Wang says.

Wang's paintings often feature young women against a backdrop of Chinese rural landscapes. When he was studying in the 1970s, art was considered a propaganda tool and typical subjects were national leaders, socialist workers and heroic scenes.

"Wang Yidong turned away from politics, and brought art to the countryside and humanity itself," Jia says. "Like Chen Danqing, who painted Tibetan people in their natural setting, he sang the praises of local life and culture, rather than the liberation of Tibet.

"These artists were marginalized at that time. They were the first to raise sharp questions about the mission of art and their works were pioneering and refreshing," Jia says.

Wang says inspiration has to come from inside the artist and the deeper the feeling the more powerful the image is likely to be: "It's just like the clich, you have to follow your heart," he says of his subjects and the Realist style.

Realism is not only legitimate in the contemporary art scene but also has rich potential, Jia says. Talented artists will make fresh observations and continue to convey sensual expressions in powerful images.

Long Museum, which opened in 2012, is privately owned by Liu Yiqian and wife Wang Wei.

It will open a new branch on the western bank of the Huangpu River later this year, presenting the couple's classic Chinese art collection.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn.

Left: Still Life - Peaches, oil on canvas by Leng Jun. Right: Beautiful Countryside, oil on canvas by Wang Yidong.

(China Daily 04/28/2013 page15)