Writer uses humor to bring Western art closer to Chinese

Gu Mengjie is helping to popularize Western painters in China by using humor and anecdotes.

Born in Shanghai, the 32-year-old former graphic designer was first noticed in 2013 for his long posts on European classical paintings on the popular Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo.

Gu's dissection of works by Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, in particular, has won him 1 million followers.