In the above picture, both the hen and the rooster, gorgeously colored, bringing to mind the image of the legendary phoenix, especially with the hen supported by its two legs, each as strong as the hind legs of the larger rooster.

It’s typical of Chinese peasant or folk paintings, which are usually marked by bright colors with a cheerfully rural style and bold imagination.

Just as the name implies, Chinese peasant paintings are created by Chinese peasants or peasant artists. Their themes are usually linked with the daily life in rural areas, covering farm work, animals, festivals, music, village customs, harvest scenes, and children.

by Wang A'Ni,Jinshan, Shanghai

Though traditional Chinese folk art (such as paper cuts) has long existed in rural areas, the distinct style of Chinese peasant painting is relatively new. It emerged in the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960), a nationwide push to match Western nations’ industrial capacity. During this period, people in the countryside were requested to produce artwork to help motivate the masses. Many of these pieces depicted peasants’ dreams for greatness, with scenes offering promise of the bountiful rewards that would come from hard work and cooperation. Imagination and exaggeration took center stage in these paintings, and subjects such as livestock and harvests tended to be larger than life.

Such artwork became less widespread in the 1960s, but many of the artists continued to paint recreationally with the unrealistic style they had been accustomed to. The amateur painters formed village art groups where they could meet and exchange ideas. Soon, there were movements to develop the style into a professional art form. According to Sun Jianjun, the Deputy Director of the Folk Arts and Crafts Commission and a dean at the Chinese Academy of Art, “Local cultural and folk art associations used funds to train the farmers in basic painting skills, especially in the use of colors,” “Many of the farmers welcomed the guidance, but it was important for them to maintain their individualistic painting style. This is still true today.”