The UN Headquarters in New York for the United States, the London
Bridge for Britain, the Eiffel Tower for France and Orthodox
churches for Russia!
If you think these landmarks or images are obvious symbols of
their countries, then how do you depict Kenya? A colony of
flamingos! And the person who has done that on rice paper is none
other 83-year-old Huang Yongyu, one of China's most famous
artists.?
Tsinghua University art professor Yuan Yunfu, too, has created a
fine work of art: the Great Wall. Needless to say it symbolizes
China.
These are some of the excellent works that more than 200 artists
from across China have come together to create. They have put their
thoughts and artistic brilliance into 200 traditional Chinese
paintings to represent the 192 member states of the UN.
Their works will go on display at the "One World" exhibition in
Beijing on April 28.
But it's not only the well-known landmarks and architectures
that feature in these paintings, for landscapes, folk customs,
national flowers and birds, too, find place in many of the
works.
From the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, the exhibition
will travel to the UN office in Geneva in July and then to its
headquarters in New York as a prelude to the 2008 Olympic Games.
The paintings will also be showcased in the capitals of more than
10 countries across the five continents.
The Olympic athletes will be presented with the exhibition
catalogues through which they can learn about Chinese painting and
the characteristic features of the 192 countries, said Feng Yuan,
vice-president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
(CFLAC).
The Information Office of the State Council, CFLAC and the
Chinese Artists' Association are the joint organizers of the
paintings and the exhibitions.
"As part of the great event (2008 Olympics), Chinese artists
have expressed the wishes of their peace-loving people to help
build a world of harmony and peaceful coexistence," Feng said.
(China Daily April 19, 2007)
