BEIJING,
CHINA – Wu Guanzhong, known as one of the fathers of modern Chinese art
for combining western and Chinese elements in black and white oil
paintings, has
died. He was 90. He died in Beijing on Friday. Wu’s works have become
very
valuable in recent years. Earlier this month, his oil painting from 1974
depicting the Yangtze River sold for $8.4 million at a Beijing auction. For decades he
had been exploring ways of reconciling the two traditions, and in his
work shows
a mutual influence of Chinese and Western styles. He was a most
respected
artist and played an important role in contemporary art history, as an
artist, a
teacher, and an essayist.