Jinshan Farmer Painting [Photo/confucianism.com.cn]

Zhu’s Full Barns (1975), co-painted with Chen Mingmin, later became the first farmer painting to be exhibited in an annual National Art Exhibition.

“Farmer painting is special, ironically, because of its lack of skill,” explains Zhu. “It’s back-to-the-basics, innocent, and painted in bright colors that are attractive to the eye. It is easy to appreciate in a fast-paced environment like our own today where people are longing to go back to a slow, rhythmic life.”

However as life evolves with development, farmer painting evolved along with it. “Basically, farmer painting today is a traditional craft, but with modern artistic sentiments drawn on canvas instead of the walls above the stoves where it first began,” says Zhu.

The art of farmer painting was designated by the Chinese government as an intangible cultural heritage in 2006, which led to the building of the Jinshan Farmer Painting Village, aimed at attracting visitors and a wider on-the-ground understanding of this art form. Ironically, it seems to have placed difficulty on the painters themselves. Chen and her mother, Chen and his wife have taken to creating only in their own homes at night. “It does get distracting” is echoed by both families in reaction to the throngs of tourists that walk through their workspaces everyday. “We draw at home and just color or copy old paintings here,” says Gong.

For Zhu, the struggle is not to create but to continue this art form. “It is difficult to promote this art form,” says Zhu. “(As works are duplicated) there is less interest from people today given that the commercial value of these works are lower. Furthermore the number of farming villages are decreasing, and people look down on these areas, deeming them too backwards.”

As such, the academy is looking for students to learn and appreciate farmer paintings through partnerships and workshops with schools, ranging from elementary schools to universities. “In sum, farmer painting is a traditional art form that used to be on stoves and stitching but are now on canvas,” Zhu explains. “It is worth preserving by virtue of its importance to Chinese culture.”

Meanwhile, these paintings seem to have taken off, particularly in Japan, where both Chen Huifang and Chen Weixiong have published calendars or books showcasing their works. Historians, artists and others hope this popularity will continue on to save the livelihood of these colorful and fascinating paintings exhibiting a life that is slowly being forgotten.

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