Chinese oil painter Li Shaogang recently showcased his talent to the world by holding a solo painting exhibition at the LeSoleil Fine Art Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.

The exhibition, which ran from March to July, was well-received by the local government and artists, and brought a touch of unique oriental exoticism to the maple country.

The opening ceremony held on March 30 attracted more than 100 guests, including Joe Peschisolido, member of the Canadian Federal Congress, Wang Xiaogang, a famous painter, Helena Liu, founder of Canada Chateau Helena, and Dror Drel, curator of the LeSoleil Fine Art Gallery.

Li Shaogang, or Jack Lee, is a romantic artist. His works can be seen as an integration of traditional Chinese culture and modern urban culture and as an exploration of history and nature. Through his paintings, people can feel a sense of freedom and harmony from his narration of time, space, civilization, and spirit. Li’s personal experiences and profound thoughts on art and philosophy are well-represented in his unique paintings, such as Hometown, Milk Sea, and The City of Son.

Born in the “Oriental Paris” of Harbin, the northernmost capital city in China, Li demonstrated an interest and talent for painting at a very young age when he began drawing streets and trees without any guidance. At the age of ten, he started studying traditional Chinese paintings with painting master Ge Weijun. He later studied Western art forms such as sketching, watercolor, gouache, and oil painting before being admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts at Harbin Normal University. Li specialized in murals at school but continued practicing oil painting under the guidance of China’s famous oil painter Zheng Yi.

Unfortunately, Li lost his father when he was still an undergraduate. His mother Xing Baoyun had to take care of his entire family. Li was very grateful to his mother and chose to work at a bank so he could help pay the bills. However, he never gave up painting and continued to practice. He finally became a professional painter at around the age of 40.

Li has travelled around the world with his wife and left his mark in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Australia, visiting a number of well-known places such as the Sistine Chapel in Italy, the Tokyo Gallery, and the Australian Arts Center.

Li’s oil paintings received the admiration of the founder of the LeSoleil Fine Art Gallery and his wife Ms. Julie, who are experienced in managing art galleries and have a high appreciation for the arts. The couple provided Li with a lot of support and signed a contract with him in order to collect and sell his paintings. The success of Li’s solo exhibition showed that his paintings have been well-received by the international community.