Germany Mills, 1957, 43×35cm, by Li Keran. [Photo/Zhejiang Online]

It is said that, once in 1954, when Li Keran was showing his works to the public after a long period of creation, an oil painter said to Li Keran, "Chinese ink paintings are still not as expressive as oil paintings". Li Keran didn't argue but bore these words in mind.

When he later got the chance to go to Germany, which is the home of oil painting, he studied many Germany artists' oil paintings and began to make changes in his creations. This painting created in 1957 is a special one among traditional Chinese paintings, which seems not like a typical oil painting or a sketch, but surely, very expressive.