Chinese painting exhibit opens in Pretoria

In Africa, Chinese paintings are also garnering positive feedback. It's well-known that China and South Africa enjoy a strong economic and political relationship. But the two countries are now also working hard to ensure that they strengthen cultural ties between their people. As part of this initiative, the Chinese embassy in South Africa has launched an exhibition of Chinese Peasant Paintings at the National Museum of Cultural History.

The exhibition - called Dream of The Homeland - is being done in co-operation with the China Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing. As the name implies, Chinese Peasant Paintings are created by Chinese farmers or peasant artists. Each painting is linked with the daily life of farmers and peasants in rural areas. The paintings generally feature farm work and animals, festivals, music and dance. Villages customs, harvest scenes and children.

Yin Yali, Chinese Cultural Affairs Counsellor, SA, said,"In China we have a big population in rural area. In the countryside. So, they need cultural life. I don't think they are professional painters, but they teach themselves. This is a part of their cultural life."

Chinese Peasant Painting - also called modern folk painting first started in the 1950s as a continuation and development of Chinese traditional folk painting. Contemporary peasant paintings are said to integrate professional painting skills with folk customs and peasant life. And, unlike the work of most modern, academic artists, peasant paintings have its own unique blend of simplicity and frankness and a certain lack of constraint. Although the style could be described as primitive, the artists use bold, vivid colours and exaggerated forms to depict their ordinary, traditional lives in grand, flamboyant fashion.

Li Xiaolong, curator of China Three Gorges Museum, said,"South Africa is a Country of Rainbow. I think people in South Africa love the bright colour and loves this simple, exaggerated and uniquely simple painting art forms. The reason, I think the many reason is they love life and they are passionate for life.'

And as the land has become their life, the peasant farmers' paintings have become a way of expressing their hopes, dreams and desires.

Yin Yali said,"Culture is a bridge between the heart of the people. So, we have strong political ties, strong economic ties. But culturally we hope we bring the Chinese culture here. And we also like to bring the South African culture to China to let people know each. The culture is most easy thing to link the heart of the people"

The Dream of the Homeland exhibition - which consists of 66 of these elaborate pieces - will be on display on these walls in the South African capital, Pretoria, until the end of January.

Rene Del Carme said,"And South Africa will soon return the favour when it takes 100 artworks - called the Treasures of South Africa - on a six-month-long exhibition to China."