|

Hon. Rosy Akbar (middle), Minister of Education, Heritage, and Arts of Fiji, watches Miao Huixin (left), a painter from Xiuzhou, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, as he paints at an exhibition of Xiuzhou Farmers' Painting which opened in Fiji on July 24. [Photo/WeChat account: culturedialogue]

Farmers' Painting is considered to be one of the most unique painting styles in China. It is produced by farmers and focuses on rural life.

In the 1980s, the nation witnessed a boom in farmers' paintings, with many painting hubs emerging across the country, including Shanghai's Jinshan district, which is adjacent to Xiuzhou.

Over 20 aspiring painters from Xiuzhou went to study farmers' painting in Jinshan in 1983 and later went back to paint the scenery and life of their hometown, leading to the development of Xiuzhou Farmers' Painting.

Miao Huixin was among them. He has been dedicated to the art form for more than three decades and has visited countries such as Germany, Australia, Japan and Sweden for art exchanges many times. Nearly 100 of his works have been bought by Chinese and foreign collectors. In 1998, Miao was selected by Time Magazine (Asia Edition) as one of the "Top 10 Asian Artists".

His works made their debut overseas in the 1990s. At the recommendation of a British friend he made at a solo exhibition in Beijing in 1987, Miao Huixin arrived in France with his works in 1995. The debut opened up a whole new world to him, and the influence of Western art further enriched his creations.

"I was mentioned by the Western media as 'Picasso from China'. I never took such a title seriously, because I want only to be myself. I'd rather be called 'Miao Huixin from China'", said the artist.

Xiuzhou now has more than 100 professional artists working on farmers' paintings and more than 2,000 promising young talents.

Statistics show that nearly 1,000 Xiuzhou Farmers' Paintings have won awards at municipal, provincial and national levels, and 400 have been housed in famous domestic galleries such as the National Art Museum of China.

Courses started to be offered in some domestic schools in 2005, and a textbook called I Learn to Draw Xiuzhou Farmers' Painting was released in 2018.