An army of artists!

Jack Crone for MailOnline

An army of artists! More than 6,000 Chinese university hopefuls take entrance exam after boom in teens wanting to study subject

• Thousands of aspiring artists crammed into convention centre in eastern Chinese city of Ji’nan yesterday
• Working against the clock and each other, they were tasked with producing a still life of a kitchen scene
• Popularity of art studies soared in Shandong province and overcrowded entrance exams like this now commonplace

Their task seemed simple enough – to sketch and paint a still life of items you might find in a kitchen.But demonstrating your artistic prowess when working against the clock and competing against 6,000 others cannot be easy. That’s exactly what these art university hopefuls had to do when they flocked into an international convention center in the eastern Chinese city of Ji’nan yesterday. Row upon row of aspiring artists filled the enormous hall and could be seen sketching and painting determinedly in their bid to earn a coveted place at Shandong University of Art & Design.

The young rivals, armed with identical easels and palettes, sat on stools facing forward while invigilators navigated their way through narrow aisles. Many candidates could be seen peering nervously around the room in their search for that place-earning inspiration.

Others were pictured focusing intently on their work as the seconds ticked away. What they produced was a variety of interpretations of a kitchen unit scene – with many opting for a kettle surrounded by scattered fruit and vegetables. Others produced pots, saucepans and bottles of wine – many of them sketches of high quality. The popularity of art studies has soared in the Shandong province and overcrowded entrance exams like this are now commonplace.

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