“No one named van Gogh in my village”
Chang Xiufeng came to art late in life.
After spending 70 years in a small village in the countryside, she moved to Guangzhou in 2003, to live with her son. She began painting after making a pen and ink sketch of her a small village to explain to her granddaughter what one looked like.
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Chang Xiufeng draws picture at her home. |
After her son posted pictures of some of her work online, she was quickly dubbed the “van Gogh grandmother” by impressed internet users. Chang, however, doesn’t believe that her blog is so widely read. "I think only 40 people maximum read my blog,” she says firmly.
Nevertheless, she was soon invited to hold an exhibition for charity in Hong Kong; more than 100 of her paintings were displayed. Last month, China Citic Press came out with a book of her paintings accompanied by accounts of her daily life written by her son.
Most of her art depicts memories of her old village. "I still vividly remember what my village looks like. I don't need to think about what color should be used," she said.
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One her favorite paintings is of an old village house surrounded by decaying trees.
"It describes the agony and hardship of village life. Decaying trees symbolize the difficulties we faced,” she explains.
"I did not know how to express my feelings in words,” she says. “So I draw to express my innermost feelings."
She has also drawn a brightly colored of a group of sunflowers that resembles van Gogh’s famous sunflower painting.
“His sunflowers are not better than mine. Sunflowers can not be in vase. Without water and soil they would be dead. He must be unhappy because his flowers are not energetic. But my sunflowers are planted under the sunshine are full of vitality. They are very happy just like my mood.” she said.
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Sunflower by Chang Xiufeng |
And her take on van Gogh himself?
"I don't know him. There's no one named van Gogh in my village.”
Quotations from Chang Xiufeng
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Chang 's book |
Q: What are the differences between living in the city and the country?
A: City is not safe, because there are too much people and vehicles.
Q: Have you ever been to Beijing?
A: Beijing is the capital, where the chairman Mao lived.
Q: Do you think you are a celebrity?
A: I ‘m not a celebrity, I’m a farmer still.
Q: Why do people like your paintings?
A: I do not know. They all said my paintings touched them
Q: Can you draw buildings in the city?
A: No, I can’t
Q: Do you have any regrets?
A: My children have grown up and I traveled many places. I’m satisfied.
Q: I heard that you often miss your home town. But the life there is poor and many rivers are now dry? Why do you miss it?
A: Everyone has a home. Even a dog never shuns its owner’s home, however shabby it is.
By Wang Nan
