"I began to draw large flowers because it is very difficult," he says.

Bruni is a master of color control and likes the challenge presented by different colors. Realizing that the public was predisposed to like works with bright, clean colors, he decided to test himself and the audience by painting more flowers in dark colors, even black.

Another theme of the Beijing exhibition is ballerinas.

"Ballerinas are a furtherance of my admiration for female beauty in its more sophisticated manifestations. They have a different kind of beauty. Their body silhouette is very different. On stage they seem hollow and yet incredibly graphic. Their movements are like a drawing," Bruni says. "For a painter, pursuing beauty is the eternal topic. For me, flowers and ballerinas are two forms of beauty."

Wang Zhong, honor professor and fellow at Repin Academy of Fine Arts, in St. Petersburg, Russia, says: "I have seen a lot of Russian painters' works. But this exhibition is unique. Bruni chooses flowers and ballerinas as his themes, and we can see that he is seeking harmony. This is also something that Chinese artists are always pursuing."

Bruni says cultural communication between China and Russia still has a long way to go.

"For me, it is still insufficient," he says. But he notes that many Chinese people are now traveling to Russia to watch ballets and operas.

China also has many outstanding works of its own, he says.

"It is a pity that few Russian people know this."

Contact the writers through renqi@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

9:30 am-4:30 pm, through Sept 29. Poly Art Museum, Poly Building, No 1 Chaoyang North Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-65008117