Mother and Daughter-In-Law

Growing up in a peasant family of Miao ethnicity in Sinan, a mountain village in Guizhou province, Zhao Jianghua became familiar with farming and housework. Here Zhao depicts a domestic scene in a courtyard setting including poultry, bamboo strips hung with dry vegetables, and twig fences. He enriches the narrative content with an expressive range of lines and patterns, not only to distinguish forms but also to give them texture.

During his high-school years in Sinan, Zhao began to draw scenes from historical stories and pictures for illustrated books. While studying at the College of Art at Guizhou Nationality University, he developed an interest in European landscapes. Zhao regards realistic painting of his native Guizhou, however, as his most important activity.