Shanghai Peasant Painting art has been identified as ‘The Most Classic Chinese Folk Art’ since 1980, and is now recognized as ‘Non-Material Cultural Heritage’. Cao Jingen, born July, 1969 in a peasant family in Shanghai, is a genius Peasant Painting artist known as ‘Chinese Picasso’ or ‘Master of Jinshan Peasant Painting’. His artworks are featured with theirflamboyant colors, exaggerated modeling, cheerfully decorative compositions, distortion, and surrealistic style lend a feeling of truthfulness and naivety, possessing the simplicity of people. Also, he has been playing an active role in cultural communication both at domestic and overseas. He is a life member in Chinese Culture and Art Development and Promotion Association, one of the True Power Artists of Jinshan Peasant Painting Academy, as well as the director of Taiwan Lingnan Traditional Painting Association, Shanghai Agent. Over 80 of his 400 artworks have been filed in a variety of painting albums, such as’Jinshan almanac’, ’Son of East’, ‘Works of Famous Contemporary Painting and Calligraphy Artists’, ’Profiles of Chinese Painting and Calligraphic Artworks’, ‘Famous Chinese and Japanese Paintings and Calligraphy Artists in 20thCentury’.
Exhibition
1989, Hongkong, Shanghai Folk Arts Exhitibion
1996, Yixiang Cup—Chinese paintings and Calligraphy Exhibition
1997, The 4thOverseas and Domestic Paintings, Calligrapy and Seal Cuttings Exhibition;
1997, The 7thinternational Taiwan Poetry paintings and photographic Exhibition
2001, Chinese National Technology and Culture Fair—Painting and Calligraphy Category; Artwork ‘Peace’ won Gold Prize
2001, First Global Internet Arts Exhibition
2001, The 11thInternational Painting and Photography Exhibition of Both side of Taiwan Straits; Artwork ’Child Cowherd of Water Village’ won a Gold Prize
2001, Beijing, Sodality Exhibition of Art Circles and Auction Circles
2003, The 12th‘Spring of Southern Yangtze’ Painting Show
2004, Shanghai, The 7thJinshan Tour Festival New Jinshan Peasant Painting Competition&Exhibition
2004, Tianjing, The 3rdInternational Folk Arts Exposition
2005, Shanghai, The 13th‘Spring of Southern Yangtze’ –Ming Cup Exhibition
2005, Shanghai, International Tech and Art Exhibition
2005, Yangzhou, National Painting Arts Exposition
2005, French, Jinshang Peasant Painting Arts Exhibition—Friendship
2005, Shanghai, The 7thInternational Art Festival—Chinese Jinshan Folk Arts Exhibition
2006, Shanghai, International Tech and Art Exposition
2006, Hongkong, Chinese JINSHAN Peasant Painting Masterpiece Exhibition
2008, Shanghai, The 10thInternational Tour Festival—‘Langxia Cup’ Jinshan Peasant Painting Competition—Artwork ‘Sun Clothes ’ won a Bronze Award
2009, Shanghai, The 15th‘Spring of Southern Yangtze’ Arts Exhibition
Evaluation of his Artworks
Cao Jingen’s artworks have won a great reputation not only in domestic China but also in America, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Belgium, German, France etc. Some companies in Taiwan and Hongkong also bought the copyrights of these artworks on their product design. His artworks has passed and got excellent evaluation on the arts value under ISC2000. Cao Jingen at the same time has got the ISQ9000A qualification.
Business Practices of his artworks
Since 2004, artworks ‘Mother and Daughter’ and ‘Sun Clothes’, have been used as the theme image of Tea Drink Products TIAN REN DONG-Tea Gift Package by the biggest Tea Drink chain stores TONG LU TIAN REN. Sales double owing to using Cao Jingen’s artworks as theme image.
2005, artworks ‘The Doll of Clay’ and ‘Sun Clothes’ were printed on the leather products of a famous Leather Products company-- IF PACIFIC CORP, sold in Taiwan, Hongkong, and Japan.
2005, 4 pieces of artworks—’Welcome 2007’, ‘Cowherd Boy of Water Village’, ‘Look at this family!’, and ’Raise me up’, were used in the Advertisement of Nutritious Food for Children by UNICEF, as well as in the products designs, such as greeting cards, laptops, to name a few. The artwork ’Raise me up’ was also filed into an arts album with the artworks of Van Gogh and Claude Monet by UNICEF as a gift for leaders from various countries.
2007, artworks ‘Embroidered satin shoes’ and ’Sun Clothes’, were printed on ash bags, clocks, stationary goods, such as electronic computers, mice, mouse pads, tea cups, pens, mugs, etc. Copyrights were sold to Hongkong BaoLai International Co. Ltd, used in Japanese, European, Taiwan markets from 26th, Feb., 2007 to 25th, April, 2009.
2006, artwork ’Jiangnan Package Cloth’ was used on lotteries of ‘Pig Year’
2007, artworks ‘Happy Festival’ was elected as a treasure of the Temple by Jinshan DongLin Temple as a tourist attraction of the Temple
2008, Cao Jingen was invited to paint his artwork ‘Welcome 2008’ by HSBC. The artwork was then copied and printed on scarves, which were sent to the richest businessmen as gifts during the time of Bejing Olympic. The original was kept in HSBC.
2009, invited again by HSBC , Cao Jingen painted ‘2009 HUIFENG CUP Golf championship’ for the scarves gifts sent to the golf players in 2009 HUIFENG CUP Golf Championship held on September.
