artsmemory asked:
According to statistics, there are approximately 3,500 people working in the oil painting industry in Wushipu at this time. The very first group of artists settled there in 1992. Since then, art dealers from South Korea, the USA and Europe have been coming to purchase oils, and now the village has become a powerful magnet for painting dealers. According to a survey done by the government of Huli District, Wushipu has become one of the top three oils producing bases of the world, with annual sales of RMB 200 million. The other two locations are Putian in Fujian and Dafen near Shenzhen. Wushipu’s output accounts for 18% of the world’s total, and 95% of its production goes to foreign markets.
Huang Dadao, a 35-year-old painter from Putian, rented a studio in Wushipu two years ago. According to Huang, some domestic art galleries, such as those in Shanghai for example, have started to make purchases in Wushipu, and the prices they offer are no lower than those offered by foreign buyers. Wushipu is a very good place for oils transactions, and with more convenient transportation and more fellow painters, it is more appealing than Huang’s hometown, Putian.
Currently, there are still some painters in the village who haven’t received much professional training. It will be necessary to raise their professional competence, as well as enhance citizen awareness of "artistic vision" and of commercial arts in general, so as to develop both domestic and foreign markets. Meanwhile, the competition for a share in the painting market is getting fierce, as people in other parts of the country have likewise realized the importance of the visual art industry. According to a senior art dealer, local "tinfoil painting" enjoyed a decade of prosperity in the 1980s, even though exports at that time could only be made through one appointed foreign trade company. Nevertheless, the annual output reached over several million RMB. Later, however, the market was lost and local "tinfoil painting" has recently reached an all-time low.
"The visual art industry is the newest accelerator for developing China’s economy," said Chen Yifei, a late master of visual art. His vision has been confirmed by the prosperity of Wushipu. According to Chen, visual arts should be applicable to daily life, so they will be appreciated by common people. Compared to countries like Italy and Japan, where the visual art industry is well developed, China still has a long way to go. We have to go through a "catch-up period," especially in designing.
Wushipu’s oil paintings can easily be classified into three quality levels: high, medium and low. The present goal for "catch-up" is to increase the proportion of upper-medium and higher levels. It is apparent that local governments at the city, district, and sub-district levels have all attached great importance to the development of Wushipu, the village of oils. The local leaders often come down to do investigations and surveys, even on weekends. On May 16th, Huli District founded a trade union for the oil painting industry in Wushipu and is now busy planning construction of an Oils Street and a website in order to promote an art exhibition and auction and to enlarge the platform for oil transactions in general.
China Painting Repro
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According to statistics, there are approximately 3,500 people working in the oil painting industry in Wushipu at this time. The very first group of artists settled there in 1992. Since then, art dealers from South Korea, the USA and Europe have been coming to purchase oils, and now the village has become a powerful magnet for painting dealers. According to a survey done by the government of Huli District, Wushipu has become one of the top three oils producing bases of the world, with annual sales of RMB 200 million. The other two locations are Putian in Fujian and Dafen near Shenzhen. Wushipu’s output accounts for 18% of the world’s total, and 95% of its production goes to foreign markets.
Huang Dadao, a 35-year-old painter from Putian, rented a studio in Wushipu two years ago. According to Huang, some domestic art galleries, such as those in Shanghai for example, have started to make purchases in Wushipu, and the prices they offer are no lower than those offered by foreign buyers. Wushipu is a very good place for oils transactions, and with more convenient transportation and more fellow painters, it is more appealing than Huang’s hometown, Putian.
Currently, there are still some painters in the village who haven’t received much professional training. It will be necessary to raise their professional competence, as well as enhance citizen awareness of "artistic vision" and of commercial arts in general, so as to develop both domestic and foreign markets. Meanwhile, the competition for a share in the painting market is getting fierce, as people in other parts of the country have likewise realized the importance of the visual art industry. According to a senior art dealer, local "tinfoil painting" enjoyed a decade of prosperity in the 1980s, even though exports at that time could only be made through one appointed foreign trade company. Nevertheless, the annual output reached over several million RMB. Later, however, the market was lost and local "tinfoil painting" has recently reached an all-time low.
"The visual art industry is the newest accelerator for developing China’s economy," said Chen Yifei, a late master of visual art. His vision has been confirmed by the prosperity of Wushipu. According to Chen, visual arts should be applicable to daily life, so they will be appreciated by common people. Compared to countries like Italy and Japan, where the visual art industry is well developed, China still has a long way to go. We have to go through a "catch-up period," especially in designing.
Wushipu’s oil paintings can easily be classified into three quality levels: high, medium and low. The present goal for "catch-up" is to increase the proportion of upper-medium and higher levels. It is apparent that local governments at the city, district, and sub-district levels have all attached great importance to the development of Wushipu, the village of oils. The local leaders often come down to do investigations and surveys, even on weekends. On May 16th, Huli District founded a trade union for the oil painting industry in Wushipu and is now busy planning construction of an Oils Street and a website in order to promote an art exhibition and auction and to enlarge the platform for oil transactions in general.
China Painting Repro
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