For ten years, former embroiderer Ma Junhua has expressed her concern for the natural environment through her paintings. Her art has helped to inspire a new generation through exhibitions of her folio of some 200 works in primary schools.
Ma’s paintings may not strictly conform to an academically recognized artistic genre but each and every one depicts a simple story rich in meaning.
One work is entitled “Cat Looking at Fish.” Though a cat’s natural instinct would be to eat fish, this cat looks towards the fish in a friendly manner.
Another work is “Mother and Son Love Spring.” Here mother and son are from the monkey world. Mother monkey carries her son and introduces him to an appreciation of the beautiful scenery, which surrounds them.
Ma wishes to promote better citizenship amongst the children she paints for by fostering a love of their environment. Originally, her concern had grown from newspaper articles reporting crime committed by youngsters. Seeking inspiration, she had welcomed suggestions from established Chinese painters that she might tell her story about environmental protection through the paintbrush.
Her devotion to this task has been tireless for 10 years now and has led to the creation of some 200 works. Her exhibitions are becoming more and more influential.
A child once said to Ma Junhua, “Aunt, what a lovely sparrow you have painted. I must make Father stop eating roasted sparrows.” Words like these from the hearts of children are a source of great encouragement. They inspire Ma Junhua to continue exhibiting her paintings.
(china.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, July 3, 2002)
