Poetic imagery

Apart from Jiangnan landscapes, the exhibition shows Fang's depictions of northern Shaanxi province, shortened to Shanbei. The expansive view of Shanbei and its rich folk cultures under his soft, free lines become distinctively serene, gentle and far-reaching, like xintianyou, a local folk music style.

It also shows paintings drawn from Fang's three journeys to Europe－when he was traveling along the Danube. Among the works on show, the Danube series, which is in the collection of China National Academy of Painting, marks the historic exchanges between the East and the West.

Fang's paintings are the best testimony to his years of research on classical Chinese painting and folk arts. The colors he mainly used in his works are delicate, calming and often mentioned in Song poems.

"Light yellow and emerald green represent thriving lives in spring; dark green and blue reinforce a coolness of summer and the depths of far mountains; yellow and red dye the fields and leaves in the fall to deliver an extravagant feeling; silver white and pale green are for snow-covered woods to render the world in solemnity and desolation," Fang once said.

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn