Briefly

Illustrating fables

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is most well-known for his paintings featuring surrealist scenes and colors that evoke in the viewer delight, a longing for love and sometimes slight sadness. In his 100 black-and-white etchings to illustrate The Fables of La Fontaine, Chagall presented a more serious state of mind, different from his popular dreamy images. His vivid explanations of the literary masterpiece by French poet Jean de La Fontaine, who lived in the 17th century, engage people in an investigation of human nature, and its good and cruel sides. A whole collection of Chagall's engravings of The Fables of La Fontaine is on show at Gallery Ici Labas in Beijing's 798 art zone. Chagall began to work with engraving in Berlin in 1922. He went on to make prints and illustrated for books to build a link between fine arts and literature through his work. He barely understood French and had his wife translate The Fables into Russian. When he worked on the collection, he was inspired by the French landscape to show his passion for nature. He also borrowed materials from the cultural traditions of other countries. Ambroise Vollard, the influential French art dealer of the time, said there were similarities in the aesthetics of La Fontaine and Chagall, "both ingenuous and subtle, realistic and whimsical". The show runs through to June 4.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 798 East Street, 798 Art Zone, Beijing.130-0117-0598.

Cultural exchange

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Dimensions of Civilization is an ongoing project at the Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute that aims to intensify the exchange of art and culture between China and Italy. It includes two exhibitions, one of which is Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road that features eminent figures and their representative styles of creation to touch upon the many aspects of Italian contemporary art. The narrative traces back the ancient Silk Road by which commodities and cultures were exchanged between the East and the West, and how in the modern times, the traveling of art has further enriched the communication between cultures. The other exhibition is The Return of Spring, which shows the works of 16 Chinese and Italian artists whose creation have for the past five decades shaped the art landscapes of their own countries and meanwhile been introduced to the world stage. The two shows will end on May 26.

9:30 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.56 Daxuecheng South Road, Gaoxin district, Chongqing. 177-8408-0200.

Paris in prints

[Photo provided to China Daily]

During his short life of 37 years, French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created thousands of paintings covering posters, prints, watercolors, oil paintings and sketch manuscripts. He rose to fame by depicting a vivid picture of the splendid nightlife in Paris, mainly portraying figures at entertainment venues, such as actors, singers and sex workers. The exhibition Ethereal Life in Paris: A World Tour Exhibition With Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec arrived in Beijing's Art Museum of the China Millennium Monument in late April after its tour of Shanghai earlier this year. It displays about 120 sets of artworks and more than 230 precious objects to offer a comprehensive glimpse into the artist's career. He was dubbed an observer and recorder of life, an innovator of art and design, and the "soul of Montmartre" in Paris. The show runs through to Sept 3.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays, 9 Fuxing Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 010-8418-7900