Wang Baisong artist gallery owner and marketer

Wang Baisong belongs to a select group - he is one of China's few artisans bold enough to take on the international art market. 

"I deeply love oil painting. But I am even more fond of promoting my works myself," Wang, boss of Jingsong Gallery, recently told Business Weekly. 

"It is not only about money. Every time I sell a painting, I feel my efforts have paid off." 

Wang, who runs the small gallery in downtown Beijing, chooses to create, promote and sell his oil paintings by himself. 

"Some oil painters just create paintings by shutting themselves inside a room. Others are always enthusiastic about making money. I choose to follow a path between the two extremes," Wang said. 

When asked if doing business distracts his attention from creating art, Wang said he tries to strike a balance. 

"It is true that I have to spend a substantial amount of time researching the market and responding to demand," Wang said. 

"Maybe that is why I have not become a first-class artist yet. 

"However, I suppose that is the right way to develop the oil painting market. How can a painter's works be accepted by the market if he works all alone, without reference to needs?" Wang asked. 

If foreign arts enthusiasts are shifting from traditional oil paintings to more abstract art forms, why are some Chinese painters still sticking to the "imported" craftsmanship? 

Wang, a market-oriented artisan painter, holds a different view. 

"Sometimes foreigners living in Beijing come to my workshop asking for western-style traditional oil art works, since it is not easy for them to find such items in their home towns," Wang said. 

"Nowadays, it is even difficult for them to find such paintings in China. 

"According to my understanding of art, being accepted and recognized by the market is most important," Wang said. 

While oil painters like Wang are not leading oil painters in terms of craftsmanship, they are fundamental forces driving the industry forward and helping to make oil paintings more popular. 

In Shanghai, where people are more open-minded and more willing to accept western-style paintings, galleries similar to Jingsong have sprung up almost everywhere. There are now more than 400 such galleries in the city. 

"Galleries of all sizes and of all levels are playing greater roles in boosting the market and the industry," Hong Shi, member of the Chinese Association of Art Collectors, said. 

"Since oil paintings, and the industry, are fledgling in China, prices are not so exorbitant compared with traditional Chinese art forms," Hong said. 

"Therefore, it is the best time for diehard art fans and ordinary citizens to purchase oil paintings in China." 

The art form of oil painting was introduced in China in the 1920s. The first generation of Chinese oil painters included Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu. 

In the 1980s, when China adopted its market-oriented reform and opening-up policy, China's art market and industry began to develop. However, oil paintings were not popular at that time, due to cultural and ideological differences. 

China's oil painting market began to blossom in the 1990s, as China's modernization drive deepened and the industry continued to mature. 

Some painters' works, which previously had sold for a few thousand yuan, were selling for more than 100,000 yuan at art auctions. 

"Oil paintings were gradually accepted by the market, and by art enthusiasts," Hong said. "The appearance of more and more outstanding artists and quality oil paintings created by  Chinese artists are the reason for the turning point. 

"Market forces, such as the fast development of galleries, however, were also key to the industry's success," Hong said. 

Although big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have many galleries, managers like Wang, who choose to both create works and manage businesses, are not common. 

"Galleries are usually bridges that connect artists with the market, and gallery bosses are often businessmen who are fond of art," Wang said. 

"But I will be neither a pure artist, nor a pure businessman. I will combine the two roles together. I think the two roles are complementary," Wang added. 

Wang targets his "products" to both art collectors and grass-roots fans.