Full of realistic and humanistic feelings, Russian art takes an unique role in art history of the world. The masterpieces of Russian art before the October Revolution and during the Soviet Union had vast and positive influence upon the art of China of the 20th century and are still popular among Chinese people till today.

After the foundation of People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese literature and art communities started to model the Soviet Union’s art of socialist realism. Many literary theories and literary works of Soviet Union were translated into Chinese; and its fine art was brought into China through various channels.

In the upsurge of learning from Soviet Union amongst all sectors of the society in the beginning of 1950s, the art communities brought in the experience and achievements of Soviet Union’s fine art. 

Under the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and organization of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, the artist teaching in the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow came to China to teach in the National Oil Painting Training Class (1955 – 1957). The artists who studied in Maksimov’s oil painting class were from those leading fine arts academies around the countries. They later became the leading force and backbones in teaching and creating in China’s art communities; and after two years of systematic training, they played great roles in the development of Chinese oil painting.  The government had sent Students to Repin Academy of Fine Arts in Leningrad since 1953 to study oil painting, sculpture, graphic art, stage art and art history. Those students became backbones in teaching in the academies of fine arts after they came back to China.

From 1980s with the Reform and Opening-up Policy, the changing in the art trend made a great impact upon the art communities. At that time, the Rural Realism and Scar Art Movement were still inextricably tied to Russian and Soviet Union’s art. Despite of the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the art of Russian Federated Republic remained active in China. The professor of Repin Academy of Fine Arts Andrei Milnikov was once invited to give lectures and training classes on oil painting in Beijing and Hangzhou in 1991. He visited China in 1950s and was popular with his artworks worldwide.

With the help of Professor Shao Dazhen and Xi Jingzhi, Mountain Art Foundation has collected series of important Russian masterpieces which closely related to Chinese art development. There are more than one hundred pieces of Russian art works shown in the tour exhibition around China, hoping to share the great charm and fascination of Russian Arts.

The tour exhibition, Land of Fertility: Mountain Art Russian Collection will be held in Zhe Jiang Art Museum from August 3, 2011.