East-meets-West | Sichuan artist to blend traditions

The Military Club of Macau is staging a solo exhibition of color paintings by Chinese artist Yu Jian between April 25 and 30.

Yu is originally from China’s Sichuan province. Her paintings take a wide range of themes, from Buddhist beliefs to human and natural elements and scenes.

Flowers and women are two essential elements in Yu’s paintings, with flowers often used to symbolize the circle of life, in either blooming or wilting form.

Yu’s paintings also reflect a blend of oriental and occidental details.

For example, her couplet of paintings titled “Rainbow” features naked women painted in a western style, but surrounded by Chinese-style flowers, clouds, and the central element of a rainbow, presented in a form resembling the Chinese Ruyi, a ceremonial object that brings fortune.

According to a press release from the Macau Foundation, the organizer of the exhibition, Yu uses delicate pen movements and strokes to express her emotions and sentiments. Her paintings are the representation of a purely spiritual world.

The exhibition will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free.