CHINA> National
103 famous faces in one painting
(CRI)
Updated: 2009-03-18 11:12


Part of the painting, titled Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante, with Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang (back) standing in the corner. [CRI]

While the figures in Raphael's painting were all ancient philosophers, there appears to be little connecting the characters in this work, which includes historical giants like Napoleon alongside Bill Gates, the bespectacled face of modern success.

But eagle-eyed observers have spotted clues as to the painting's provenance in some of the people depicted, and some people guess the painter may be Chinese.

A clue comes from three undistinguished men in contemporary dress surveying the scene from behind a wall at the top right of the picture. Internet detectives have identified these three as the little-known Chinese artists Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An.

They created this oil painting - "Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante" - in 2006, though it has only become a hit ever since the past few weeks.

Alastair Sooke, the art writer for The Daily Telegraph, says the work reflects a trend of contemporary Chinese artists adopting Western styles and subjects.

"But the Dante reference makes us wonder whether we are looking at some nether-circle deep inside the Inferno: this is a vision of Celebrity Hell," he added.