Guest speakers address the opening reception of the One World International Printmaking Exhibition on July 12, 2008, at the Amelie Gallery in Beijing's 798 Art District. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

An international printmaking art exhibition that features the work of leading artists from China, Canada, South Korea and the United States opened on Saturday at Beijing's Amelie Gallery. It will run from July 12 to August 14, at the 798 Art District, a well-known center for the arts in China and the rest of Asia.

In conjunction with the upcoming summer Olympics, this international exhibition entitled "One World" fully embodies the Olympic values of promoting international exchange and cultural diversity.

Artworks representative of different styles, cultures and ideologies display the common concern about urban culture and globalization. Human sentiment and natural landscapes also are major themes.

Olympic-themed pieces by Chinese artists are the highlights of the exhibit. Zhou Jirong's "Bird's Nest" has impressed many of viewers. It depicts the illusion of a giant bird flying past China's newly built National Stadium, an Olympic venue nicknamed the Bird's Nest for its giant twig-like structure.

"We call the giant bird 'peng' in Chinese, which in legends would travel three thousand li (Chinese miles) in one flap of its wings," Zhou said. "While our country has been taking hold of the wings of the Olympics to develop and grow, the image of peng well symbolizes this ambition and great achievement."

Printmaking, as one of the most ancient art forms, has transcended the limitations of its medium. Artworks displayed in this exhibition have been created by various printmaking methods such as original woodblock or woodcut, lithography, silk screen or etching. They have different visual impacts that visitors find refreshing.

"The exhibition is very high level, and the artworks are of good quality," said Jonathan Goodman, an American freelancer who writes about Asian art. He was deeply impressed by "Calvin's Rock Flowers River" by Canadian artist Scott Goudie.

"As I come from a North American country, I am quite familiar with such scenery," he added.

Done in mezzotint technique, the warmly suffused colors and the liquidity of reflection of this artwork lend a kind of warm and languid feeling to the scene.

Artist Zhou said traditional printmaking as an art form has been flourishing in recent years, because artists have incorporated modern, advanced techniques and contemporary ideas into their creations.