"Smiling Faces" by Ren Hui

This painting - like all of Ren Hui’s masterful works - draws you in, and then asks you to step back and take a second look. Entitled "Smiling Faces," this masterpiece of acrylic on canvas resembles a smattering of red flecked with gold when viewed up close, but from afar a crowd of cheerful faces begins to take shape. The artist uses a method of modern pointillism, creating three-dimensional space within a two-dimensional canvas, while managing to beautifully simplify complex subjects.