CHINESE SUPER-REALISTIC PAINTER WINS TOP ACCOLADE IN BRITAIN

London: A Chinese contemporary artist, famous for his paintings and drawings that look like photographs, was handed a top honour on Tuesday from Birmingham City University Sichuan-born Leng Jun, known for his hyper-realistic paintings and drawings, received one of the university’s most prestigious accolades, an honorary doctorate.

Leng Jun who graduated from the Fine Arts Department at the Hankou Branch of Wuhan Normal College in 1984 and currently lives and works in Beijing, travelled to Britain’s second biggest city to collect the honour at an awards ceremony.

The artist produces paintings in incredible detail which are best appreciated up close or with a magnifying glass.

In his artwork you can observe the precision of his paintbrush, with the artist capturing the shadow cast by a sweater’s thread on his subject’s skin, for example.

He has developed his own method and style based on traditional western techniques, which take the visual expression and realness of oil painting to a whole new level.

A spokesperson for the university said: “Leng Jun’s artistry has been described as ‘paintings that are beyond limits’ by scholars, meaning they meet or exceed the expression of oil paint material. His artistic process relies entirely on sketching, rather than photographs, ensuring that every work is vivid and intriguing in its visual effect, capturing the minutest details.”