The color red has a rich cultural association in China. It has a special place daily celebrations, festive celebrations and occasions of significance as it symbolizes happiness, auspiciousness and grandeur.

The varying shades of red also appear in classic Chinese paintings to deliver a sense of solemnity and vitality.

In his paintings, Cui Jingzhe, an artist of the gongbi-style of painting, which focuses on careful depictions and vivid colors, utilizes the graduation of red hues in the depictions of females in history and present, and of different ethnic groups.

His exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, which ends on Tuesday, shows how the glorious color accentuates the personalities of the subject matters and the atmospheres surrounding them.