Landscapes of China: Paintings by Wang Qizhi

Famous Chinese artist Wang Qizhi will hold his first international solo exhibition this spring, allowing audiences to see paintings covering the past 50 years of China’s modern history.

The two-week show will primarily showcase oil paintings that reflect Qizhi’s individual style of integrating Chinese brushstrokes and artistic concepts with Western oil painting. The pieces depict various elements of China’s changing landscapes, including architecture, famous landmarks, and scenes from everyday life. In addition to the main selection of artwork, the exhibition will also present a portrait of Mao Zedong similar to the famous painting hanging in Tiananmen Square, which Qizhi helped paint for over 20 years

About the Artist:
Wang Qizhi was born in Yexian County, Shandong Province, China, in 1930. His father, Wang Shikuo, was one of the founders of modern Chinese fine art, so Qizhi’s love for painting developed at an early age. After entering North University’s fine art department in 1949, he continued his study at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts until graduating in 1951. Wang Qizhi is well-known for his oil paintings of Chinese landscapes, his traditional Chinese paintings of peaches, pandas, and tigers, and his portraits of high-ranking government officials like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. His most internationally recognized work is that of the Mao Zedong portrait hanging in Tiananmen Square, of which he was one of the main artists in the 1950s and 60s.