Russia has a profound cultural heritage and realist art tradition. Valery Lednev, an 84-year-old academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, has gained widespread international reputation with his unique artistic style. On January 7, "Art and Life - Valery Lednev's Oil Painting Exhibition" opened at the National Art Museum of China, displaying more than a hundred pieces created by Valery Lednev from 1970 to 2023.

This exhibition is divided into three parts: "The Source of the Soul", "Poetic Dreams" and "Romantic Comfort". The first part is mainly about character creation, including portraits of family and friends. The portraits he painted are lifelike and full of praise for youth and maternal love; the second part is about landscapes, focusing on depicting the simple and natural beauty of the Russian countryside; the third part focuses on the indoor still life, showing the beauty and tenacious vitality of various flowers, and carefully capturing the indoor light at different times.

Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, said that this year China and Russia will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the two countries will also launch the China-Russia Cultural Year. Against this background, the exhibition is of far-reaching significance. In July last year, Valery Rednev visited the National Art Museum of China and gave the audience a unique oil painting master class. He not only introduced the history and development of Russian oil painting, but also conducted an on-site portrait sketching demonstration. On the occasion of this exhibition, Valery Lednev will also generously donate works of art to the National Art Museum of China.

On the same day, the famous sculptor Cao Chunsheng also came to the opening of the exhibition. He once studied at the Repin St. Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and hugged his "old classmate" Valery Rednev to congratulate the opening of the exhibition. "We are all over eighty years old, and Valery Lednev never seems to be tired, insisting on painting, passionately praising nature and his beloved Russia. He is a role model for us artists. He often comes to China like visiting relatives. Last year, he came to the oil painting master class held by the National Art Museum of China. He showed the audience every step of the creation process of portrait painting, starting from how to draft a draft. I was particularly moved." The exhibition will be on display until January 16.

Translator: BAI Jing

Reviewer: ZHANG Bo