Art beat in March

New frontiers of ink art

Zhejiang province has been a hub of traditional ink art and renowned painters ever since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Chinese painting matured. The imperial court reopened the art academy in the capital Lin'an, now Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, where the court retreated after losing the northern territory to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). The influx of many painters from the north also gave a boost to the capital's art landscape. The establishment of Hangzhou National College of Art in 1928 pioneered the modernization of Chinese painting. An exhibition at the China National Academy of Painting's gallery displays how the province's modern artists expand the possibilities of ink art. Participating artists mainly come from the Hangzhou-based China Academy of Art and Zhejiang Painting Academy.

9 am-4 pm, until March 29. Gallery of the China National Academy of Painting,54 XiSanhuan BeiLu (Road), Haidian district, Beijing. 010-6841-1369.

Man vs nature

Photographer He Xingyou's current exhibition, Photography No Longer Credible at the Today Art Museum, is his latest effort to expand visual perception by applying digital technology. His landscape series focuses on all kinds of massive construction sites across the Chinese mainland. Through his lens, the greatness of nature confronts the power of man. The result looks as bloody and cruel as that of a real battlefield. By using long-range shots, he invites the viewers to find new explanations beneath the scenes in his photos.

10 am-6 pm, until March 30. Today Art Museum, 32 Baiziwan Lu (Road), Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5876-0600 Ext 100.

-Lin Qi

Clooney film in theaters

The Monuments Men is another film backed up with the star power of George Clooney, whose previous credits include Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and The Ides of March. The Hollywood veteran co-wrote, directed and starred in the film, which is, as the Washington Post says, "a fealty to the classical, even old-fashioned kind of film that, we're so often depressingly reminded, Hollywood doesn't make anymore". The film follows a group of historians, architects and artists as they save and preserve artworks from the Nazis. The cast is star-studded, including Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon. The film is released in China on Friday.

-Liu Wei