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Xu Jiajue, a renowned artist from Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, has a deep affection for home. Grounded in academic training, he creates vivid portrayals of rural life and landscapes, establishing a distinctive style of "ruralism" within contemporary landscape painting.
Portrait of Xu. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_cabe64129411]
While many focus on the reflections of the picturesque landscapes of the Lijiang River, one of the most spectacular destinations in China, featuring in karst landforms, Xu turns his gaze and brush towards the smoke rising from village chimneys, the rustic cottages, and the crisscrossing paths in the hills.
Known as a National First-Class Artist, Xu's true passion lies in capturing the essence of Guilin's countryside. He left his footprints on the rural paths of Longsheng, Sanjiang, and Huangyao.
The landscape scroll has been infused with the warmth of everyday life. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_cabe64129411]
He has said that he finds his best inspiration not on the rice paper in his studio, but in the terraced fields of Longsheng and the stone-paved roads of Huangyao. If Guilin was a book, the Lijiang River would be its cover, but the countryside would be its soul, he said.
Xu has spent decades immersing himself in the villages of northern Guangxi, portraying the simple, heartfelt scenes of daily life with sincerity and authenticity. His paintings are devoid of lofty hermit retreats, instead brimming with the warmth and vitality of everyday people.
Ordinary scenes are imbued by Xu with a deep affection that makes them "livable and wanderable". [Photo/WeChat account: gh_cabe64129411]
"Ink and brushes may age, but the stories of the land remain forever young," he said. "My mission is to illustrate this 'book of the countryside' for future generations."
