A 'Different Vision' -Western take on Chinese paintingWhen foreigners pick up a brush and study Chinese painting and calligraphy, they produce a "Different Vision" of cross-cultural art. An exhibit by Western students and their Chinese master opens tomorrow, writes Nora LiThe differences between Western art and traditional Chinese paintings are endlessly fascinating. We can gain some insights from the works of expat students of brush painting and calligraphy.The exhibition "Different Vision" opening tomorrow features around 60 works by more than 20 students, mostly Westerners. They're from Britain, Germany, France, the United States and other countries. The youngest painter is 12-year-old Dylan Lien from Singapore.The exhibition at 50 Moganshan Road also showcases the works of their teacher, professional artist Chen Lifan.Subjects include a water buffalo and bamboo, a fish, a crab, flowers, lotus, a woman in blue and many others.After traveling in Germany and Eastern European countries for nine years, Chen returned to Shanghai, his hometown, and started teaching foreigners traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy."Mr Chen has a great sense of humor and a charismatic personality," says Sue Ward, a student from the United Kingdom. "In Chen's classes, you can hear a great deal about Chinese culture, language, tradition. It's never just about the art."As the exhibition title indicates, the works are a blending of classical Chinese and Western art, as all the painters used a traditional Chinese art form in an original manner, representing a foreigner's perspective."Another purpose of this exhibition is to help define fashion," says Ward. People nowadays acknowledge Western paintings as major forms of fashion, she says."An exhibition of paintings from foreigners passionate about traditional Chinese brush paintings and calligraphy is a good way to attract wide attention to China's national heritage. Meanwhile, it helps define fashion with visual persuasion," Ward adds.For Chen's students, practicing Chinese watercolor painting is a direct way to understand Chinese culture. "Both the required technique and the visual result as a whole entail an intense sense of spirituality," says Ward.Western paintings are made up of many strokes, "so you can always hide the mistakes and patch up imperfection," she says. "With Chinese paintings, it takes only one stroke; there is no chance for repair." That inevitably makes it the more demanding of skill, she argues.Nevertheless, Chinese watercolor paintings are "delightfully inspiring, delicate and most essentially, spiritual," says Ward.There is not much texture in watercolor paintings, she says, "yet with the space, inadherence to reality, the objects, they seem to contain certain philosophies about the relation between infinitude and limitation. With each painting, you feel there is always something more, inexplicit and meditative in it."Besides paintings, Chinese calligraphy will be featured. Caroline Bowrick, another student from Britain, calls calligraphy extraordinarily difficult, yet relaxing."And effective, too," Bowrick is quick to add. "Without doubt, it's a brilliant way of learning and remembering Chinese characters, which have remained a challenge to me since I started taking Chinese lessons."To Chen, the exhibition also reflects his involvement with the expat community through teaching art."This experience in cross-cultural exchange has allowed me to realize the importance of such interflow between cultures and to experience the joy of it," he says.The art of painting is an important part of human civilization, Chen emphasizes. "It's through painting that we learn our nature and society, and therefore we have relied on it to release our thoughts and feelings."Different historical backgrounds, esthetic concepts and available materials result in vastly different artistic styles and characteristics around the world. "That's why artistic creativity requires mutual influence through cross-reference and emulation," says Chen.During the exhibition, adults and children can take part in practical and interactive painting demonstrations.