At the Shangri-la Art Commune in Beijing, an exhibition of abstract art has been the focus of the attention of the city's professional painters. Featuring the latest works of Liu Yue and Li Xinhui, the show has turned out to be refreshingly original.

The two painters first met in Beijing in the late 1980s. More than 20 years later, both of them have matured both personally and professionally.

Two years ago, Liu Yue returned to Beijing from New York. Like an alchemist, he shut himself up in his studio and created some 20 paintings of wide appeal.

Liu Yue is dedicated to painting abstract images on canvas. It is his conviction that the sole aim of painting is to recreate the imagery that embodies pure beauty and splendor, which often cannot be communicated through other means.

A visitor said, "Liu Yue is a very interesting person. His painting resembles his temperament. He cares about nothing. He's very relaxed. He has carried abstract expressionism to an extreme. His works are a feast for the eye."

(CCTV May 20, 2009)