Painters in ancient times journeyed to the expansiveness of nature, and portrayed mountains and rivers, trees and animals which helped them recharge their energies and refresh themselves.

These days, artists who enjoy the prosperity and convenience of metropolitan life have turned the focus of their artistic creativity to depicting the changes and unique beauty of a modern city, for example, Shanghai.

City, Composition, an exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, shows continuous endeavors of teachers and students at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts to celebrate the vigor of urban life.

Under their brushes, the mountains and waters in the classic style of Chinese landscape paintings have been replaced by high-rises and flows of automobiles on the streets.

For years, these at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts have sought to establish an "urban aesthetics", grounded on the city's history and culture, especially the role it played in the country's modernization course.