The spirit of Peking Opera and the Eastern spirit of movement have inspired two Shanghainese oil painters living for many years in the West. They show works combining Chinese sensibilities with Western abstraction, writes Weng Shihui.Artists are combiners, mixers, joiners, blenders, fusers and juxtaposers who take ideas, materials, traditions, techniques and turn them into something magical.When they travel and move elsewhere, artists take their past and heritage along; they collect more ideas, influences and perspectives and present them through a traveled lens.Fascination with European art spread among Chinese artists early in the last century as they traveled overseas to discover a new art world. Chinese art was heavily influenced by cultural movements and techniques, such as oil painting and socialist realism.Now, two Shanghainese artists - one who has lived in Canada for 15 years, one who has lived in the United States for 20 years - have returned to the city for solo oil exhibitions.Guan Qijun from Calgary, Canada, paints brilliantly colored Peking Opera scenes, the figures outlined in black against vivid backdrops. Josh Yu paints motion, his colors vibrating and colliding in another version of the spirit that animates Chinese painting.Peking OperaArtist Guan Qijun paints evocative Peking Opera scenes in free brushstrokes and vivid colors, combining abstraction and realism, drama and detail.Guan, who has lived 15 years in Canada, paints Chinese opera almost exclusively - Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and Yueju Opera are his artistic and spiritual sources of inspiration."I use a combination of abstract concepts and Chinese opera figures to present a modern painting for viewers," says the Shanghai native.The spirit of Peking Opera and the Eastern spirit of movement have inspired two Shanghainese oil painters living for many years in the West. They show works combining Chinese sensibilities with Western abstraction, writes Weng ShihuiArtists are combiners, mixers, joiners, blenders, fusers and juxtaposers who take ideas, materials, traditions, techniques and turn them into something magical.When they travel and move elsewhere, artists take their past and heritage along; they collect more ideas, influences and perspectives and present them through a traveled lens.Fascination with European art spread among Chinese artists early in the last century as they traveled overseas to discover a new art world. Chinese art was heavily influenced by cultural movements and techniques, such as oil painting and socialist realism.Now, two Shanghainese artists - one who has lived in Canada for 15 years, one who has lived in the United States for 20 years - have returned to the city for solo oil exhibitions.Guan Qijun from Calgary, Canada, paints brilliantly colored Peking Opera scenes, the figures outlined in black against vivid backdrops. Josh Yu paints motion, his colors vibrating and colliding in another version of the spirit that animates Chinese painting.Peking OperaArtist Guan Qijun paints evocative Peking Opera scenes in free brushstrokes and vivid colors, combining abstraction and realism, drama and detail.Guan, who has lived 15 years in Canada, paints Chinese opera almost exclusively - Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera and Yueju Opera are his artistic and spiritual sources of inspiration."I use a combination of abstract concepts and Chinese opera figures to present a modern painting for viewers," says the Shanghai native.Graduating from Shanghai Theater Academy, Guan once worked for a publishing house and learned Chinese painting in his early 20s. He moved to Canada 15 years ago, painting portraits for wealthy people and painting frescoes in an old castle.The long distance from China made him nostalgic, and he started the opera series five years ago. He frequently visited China to see opera performances.As time goes by, Chinese opera has become such a rich source of inspiration that Guan is visiting longer this time in his native Shanghai. The artistic marriage of ancient theatrical art forms and modern art seems more and more natural."Endless inspiration comes to my mind every day," Guan says.Guan Qijun's exhibition opens through August 31, 10am-5pm at ChinArt Gallery, Bldg 5, 200 Taikang Rd,Shanghai.