Following the official launch of China's Year of Russia, Thursday marked the opening of one of the most significant programs on the itinerary: an exhibition featuring a top selections of realistic art works from the Russian State Tretyakov Gallery, the national treasury of Russian fine art. Chinese audience who are still reveling in the glow of the Italian Renaissance Art Exhibition, will again feel their heartbeat accelerating with thoughts of Repin, Shishkin, Levitan and Kramskoy masterpieces. Their excitement will be further multiplied by another planned exhibition entitled "An Open Russia", which will present the country's contempoary artistic side. Our Reporter Laura DesBrisay has the details on these two long-awaited shows.

The 110 visiting pieces on display at the National Art Museum of China are mainly realistic portraits and landscape paintings handpicked from a vast collection of some 130,000 pieces housed at the State Tretyakov Gallery, one of the greatest museums in the world. The massive gallery’s collection consists entirely of Russian art and works from artists who have made a contribution to the history of Russian art. The exhibition, entitled "300 Years of Russian Art," will provide a summery depiction of the development of Russian art through the 18th to the 20th Century.

The Vice president of the National Art Museum of China, Ma Shulin, offers a general introduction to the exhibition.

"Although this is only a sample of the huge collection of the Russian State Tretyakov Gallery, they are representative of each style period from the 18th century until now. Most of the pieces are works that influenced Russian art history, and became known to the Chinese art audience long ago. For example, the exhibit includes the "Portrait of the Artist Ilya Repin" by realistic painting master Kramskoy—a primary figure of the Circle of Itinerants. Repin himself has five pieces included in the exhibit, including "Portrait of T.A. Mamontova" and "Putting A Propagandist Under Arrest". In addition, there are also landscape paintings by Shishkin, Levitan and Savrasov. There also some social and historical paintings from various schools of late 19th and 20th centuries, including some wonderful pieces from the Former Soviet period."

Upon entering the exhibition hall, Chinese viewers come face to face with many famous figures from various influential circles of 19th-century Russia, thanks to the magic brush of painting masters; they can gaze at the tranquil expression of young artist Repin, and marvel at the inner power which allowed him to create such impacting works as "Boatmen on the Volga"; they may also find their eyes firmly glued to the peaceful and poetic landscapes, such that they feel transported there.

The current exhibition features many pieces created during the 19th century, especially the latter half of that period, which was the heyday of the portrait genre of Russian art. The Circle of Itinerants also appeared during this period. This school of painting constituted a particularly important contribution to the annals of Russian art. Many of the artists featured in the present exhibiton were from this school, including Kramskoy, Repin, and Shishkin. Ekaterina Seznova, curator of the "300 Hundred Years of Russian Art" exhibition, shared with us a little history of the Circle of the Itinerants.

"In 1863, about 14 students from an art academy refused to paint their assigned graduation pieces and pleaded to paint the themes they had selected themselves. The request was denied and they left the art college without their diplomas. Among the 14 students, was Kramskoy. He later established the Circle of Itinerants, a school of painters that aimed mainly for their works to be appreciated by the general public. Realistic paintings also flourished during this period. In this exhibition you can see the Russian artists' efforts to combine their idealism with reality. These artists showed more care for the difficulties of people's lives, and the artistic attention paid to these themes eventually led to Russia's social revolution."

The exhibition has been long awaited by Chinese audiences. The preparations for bringing these classic Russian artworks to Beijing have been going on for six years. Chinese artists had long ago selected some 100 specific pieces and requested that they be brought to China for an exhibition. However, due to various reasons, their dream had not come true… until now, with the arrival of the Year of Russia in China.

Xi Jingzhi, a famous Russian art expert, offers an explanation for the emotional bond Chinese people have for Russian art.

"Russian art, especially from the 19th century, represents a very famous art development period in the world. Its idealism and romanticism particularly exerted much influence over Chinese art development in the 1950s. The names of Repin, Surikov and Levitan are highly revered within the hearts of Chinese artists from that time. Realistic paintings created at the time of the former Soviet Union have also had much impact on Chinese art, both in terms of its theory, techniques, its chance for Chinese art fans to satisfy their emotional bond created by 19th-centry and former Soviet Period films, art, and music".

Ma Shulin, vice President of the National Art Museum of China, provided further evidence for the popularity of Russian art.

"When these art works arrived and were being unpacked, some young Chinese painters present at the site jokingly told me that their heart was beating at over 120 beats a minute. Chinese audiences still have a strong emotional connection to Russian art. The Chinese art education system and even basic art training in middle school has a focus on the Russian system. Of course, that has become much more varied these days since we've incorporated a lot of other sources of art information, yet Russian realistic paintings still hold the hearts of many Chinese."

In coordination with the "300 Years of Russian Art" exhibition, a more modern aspect of Russian art has also been rolled out before Chinese eyes, through another exhibition entitled "An Open Russia". This exhibition brings together some 300 modern pieces, including oil paintings, woodblock prints, sculptures, and installation pieces created by three generations of Russian artists who were born after World War II. Through these works, audiences can peer into the complicated inner world of Russian contemporary artists who have lived through Russia's more recent historic transformations.

The two exhibitions are both being staged within the China National Art Museum, offering a multi-angle look at the past and present of Russian art and its masters. The exhibitions will continue to run well into May.

But that's not all. There will also be nine other Russian art exhibitions to follow throughout the year, such as art pieces from the Kremlin and an exhibition devoted specifically to 19th-century realistic art. It seems there will be a new wave of appreciation for Russian Art sweeping through China.