Real beauty comes from within

Traditional fine-brush artist He Jiaying jokes that he may have been a woman in his previous life, given his innate fascination with female beauty.

His paintings depict Asian ladies in various poses, including ballerinas at rest, country girls picking fruit and young wives hemming clothes. Seventy-two of his works are now showing at Shanghai Art Museum.

"I've loved women throughout my life," said the 52-year-old from Tianjin, who has spent most of his career making up for lost time.

"I didn't have any opportunity to play with girls as a child. I was a lonely boy. My longing for their company inspired my art.

"(Otherwise) maybe their less-charming aspects would have revealed themselves early on, and I wouldn't be able to portray them the way I do," he said.

The corresponding rough sketches are exhibited next to the paintings to show the start and end of the creative process.

Local art critics cannot get enough of his depictions of the perfect Chinese beauty.

"He learned a lot from classic oil paintings in Western countries and brought these things seamlessly into his creations. His major emphasis is on the inner-world of the characters, and this shows his understanding of the eternal beauty of Oriental women," said Yang Weimin, curator of He's exhibition.

"He has greatly reformed traditional Chinese fine-brush painting through his depiction of modern people and contemporary life with traditional ink and brushes," said Shang Hui, the editor-in-chief of Artists magazine.

Chinese fine-brush painting requires a special skill set, said He.

"It takes a lot of patience, which suits me quite well," said He. "I've always admired traditional Chinese artists who pursued perfection."

He's passion for artistic creation has spawned many imitators, especially in their approach to portrait painting.

"Many artists have imitated his way of depicting the eyes and hair with vivid details," said Yang.

Until Dec 18, 9 am-5 pm

Shanghai Art Museum 325 Nanjing Road W.

南京西路325号，上海美术馆

Tel: 6327-2829

Tickets: 20 yuan