IN BEIJING

AN IMPRESSIVE Chinese oil painting of 100 famous historical figures has set the online community here abuzz, with netizens pouring over the fresco as they attempt to identify every single face.

SOURCE: PEH SHING HUEI

This 6m by 2.6m painting crams centuries of heroes, villains and celebrities together, mixing the East with the West, and the dead with the living.

Most people would have no problems identifying the likes of Albert Einstein, Gandhi and William Shakespeare.

But more obscure ones like Chinese opera artist Mei Lanfang and Russian emperor Peter the Great would probably stump many.

It is giving history buffs here, and increasingly in other places as well, endless fun in spotting the personalities and discussing their placements and depictions in the painting.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, for example, adopts a James Dean-esque expression and is seated on the floor, hardly paying attention to the floored boxer Mike Tyson.

Only two figures – Genghis Khan and Napoleon – have the honour of riding horses, although late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat seems to be on a camel.

The Chinese God of War Guan Yu, with his weapon prominently shown, is suitably placed next to three of 20th century's most famous dictators – Hitler, Mussolini and Saddam Hussein.

Saddam's nemesis, former US President George W Bush can be seen at the top right-hand corner of the painting, peering in the direction of the Iraqi leader through a telescope.

And in a cheeky slap on the American president's face, the artists placed elusive terrorist Osama bin Laden standing behind Mr Bush.

Given that the three artists - Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi and Zhang Anjun - are Chinese, it is no surprise that almost a quarter of the personalities are Chinese figures.

But while most would have no issue with Confucius, Sun Yat-sen and Deng Xiaoping, Chinese netizens feel that hurdler Liu Xiang, who limped out of the 2008 Olympics, does not belong to the pantheon of famous faces.

The athlete would probably not have been included, if not for the fact that the painting was done in 2006, when Liu was at the peak of his fame.

There was no such disdain for Chairman Mao Zedong. Netizens welcome the late Great Helmsman being given pride of place on the main table in the centre of the piece, with his face brightly lid.

He sits next to Abraham Lincoln and ancient Chinese poet Li Bai, who is sprawled on a chair and seemingly drunk.

The others on the “main table” include philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Leonardo Da Vinci, Stalin and Queen Elizabeth II.

SOURCE: PEH SHING HUEI

The artwork, titled Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante, seemed to be inspired by Raphael's Renaissance fresco The School of Athens.

Like Raphael, the artists also drew themselves into the painting, similarly tucked in the right-hand side. They can be seen peering at the famous ones, along with Dante.

The Chinese artists also followed Raphael in having a philosopher in the centre of the artwork. Plato and Aristotle had the honoured positions in The School of Athens. But it was Marx for the Chinese piece.

A nod to the Chinese Communist Party?

Check out this website People of Influence Painting for an image map of the painting. You can click on any figure and its name will appear. But note that there are some inaccuracies.