Rapid urbanization and social transformations in the late 1990s gave rise to "city landscapes", a genre of which ink artists explored to depict emerging urban scenes in the style of Chinese painting.

It first thrived in Shenzhen, a booming metropolis in Guangdong province that gathered people from around the country who came to seek career opportunities.

As the course of urbanization speeded up in more cities, the creation of city landscapes spread. One of the hubs that have invested in this trend is Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.

Over 100 paintings by teachers and students of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts are now on show at Bimo, Composition, at China Art Museum, in Shanghai until Dec 15, reflecting the latest development in exploring the genre.

Works of this kind not only depict the ever-changing scenes of cities — skyscrapers, newly constructed roads and people living in — but also experiment with new methods of brushwork to reflect the dual mentalities of city residents. On one hand, they benefit from the convenience and prosperity of urbanization while on the other, they want to get away from its hustle and bustle and retreat to the serenity of the countryside.

The exhibition will later travel to the National Art Museum of China in Beijing.

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