A painting exhibit by artists from China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and France opened Friday, at the Beijing Crown Plaza, with paintings of 14 artists.

The show, advocated by Gallery ROK, was co-sponsored by the China International Exhibition Agency and Beijing Crown Plaza Arts Foundation.

Seok Tong-youn, minister with the ROK Embassy to China, said at the opening ceremony that ROK, attaching a great deal of importance to friendly relationship with China and Europe, said the exhibition would help to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship among peoples of the three countries. Michel Henry, a well-known French oil painter, said that the increased cultural exchange between Europe and Asia brought about by the "France-China Culture Year" have drawn the eyes of more and more French and European people to China and the rest of Asia.

ROK art critic Shin Hang-Seop pointed out that the Chinese painters, drawing on the 5,000-year history and diversified ethnic cultures of their motherland, have developed a unique Chinese artistic style in their exploration of western oil paintings. The French painters, inspired by impressionism, brighten their paintings with fantasy and romanticism.
 
The ROK painting circle, though it got off to a very difficult start in the 20th century, has impressed international critics with a fresh and direct artistic style, quite often in the form of strong colors and clear shapes.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2004)