Chinese artist tries to blend East and West

A campus reporter (Left) interviews Chinese artist Yan Yu (Right) in the Global Education Center of the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. [Photo provided for China Plus by Yu Jie]

A Chinese artist has held a painting exhibition in the Global Education Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.

Yan Yu (Left) explains his painting to visitors in the Global Education Center of the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. [Photo provided for China Plus by Yu Jie]

The exhibition, with the theme of "Exploring the Origin, Enlightening the Heart," displays paintings by Yan Yu, a visiting Chinese scholar with the Department of Art at UNC Chapel Hill. Yan Yu is also an associate professor at the School of Art at Lanzhou University in China.

Yan Yu demonstrates painting in the Global Education Center of the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. [Photo provided for China Plus by Yu Jie]

The exhibition highlights American landscapes juxtaposed with Chinese landscapes for comparison. Pieces featuring Chinese calligraphy are included as well.

Yan Yu gives his autograph to a local artist named David Stickel in the Global Education Center of the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. [Photo provided for China Plus by Yu Jie]

According to the artist, the Western technique of oil painting was not widely used in China until the early 20th century. Since then many artists have tried blending Chinese and Western painting techniques. Yan's efforts are to integrate the tastes of the East with the delicate colors of the West.

Local artist David Stickel (Left) takes pictures with his wife (Right) in front of Yan's paintings in the Global Education Center of the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. [Photo provided for China Plus by Yu Jie]

This exhibition is co-sponsored by the Carolina Asia Center and Global Education Center of UNC. It is also part of the Asian Cultural Week initiated by the university.