BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A farmer painting invitational exhibition was recently held in Donggang District of Rizhao City, east China's Shandong Province, presenting more than 300 artworks from 19 provinces and regions in China.
Vividly depicting picturesque scenery such as water-bound towns in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, bountiful grain harvest in northeast China and desert poplars in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the paintings on display are "more diverse, rich and contemporary in terms of content, concept and technique," according to Qiao Nuo, vice president of Shandong farmer painting and calligraphy art research association and the president of Donggang farmer painting association.
Rizhao is well-known for farmer painting along with Shanghai's Jinshan District and Shaanxi's Huxian (now Huyi District). Rizhao's farmer painters normally depict rural folklore and the life of fishermen characterized by full composition, bright colors, simple and sincere style.
Rizhao farmer painting has become an active force in the cultural industry, with fine works earning international awards and credits. Qiao Nuo and Qiao Yanmei, for example, had their works exhibited in an exhibition in Serbia last year.
In addition to artistic attainments, painters in Rizhao Donggang have been exploring the business potential of the artworks as well. Farmer painter Zhao Jiale and his daughter Zhao Jie, for instance, combine their painting with embroidery, integrating their works into daily necessities such as scarves and pillows.
The transformation of painting into cultural creative products has expanded market potential of farmer painting, according to Zhao Jie, who has further consolidated resources for product design, production and sales, creating hundreds of jobs for local villagers.
To accelerate upgrading, Qiao Nuo brought to his art studio a team of market and operation experts to accurately match market demands with annual sales of relative creative products approaching million-yuan scale.
Meanwhile, it is introduced that Donggang also established a wide-coverage, online and offline integrated social education system for painting, benefiting thousands of students every year, sowing hope for the future.
(Edited by Niu Huizhe with Xinhua Silk Road, niuhuizhe@xinhua.org)
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