How did a young man named Zhao Xiaoyong, an ordinary man who dropped out of junior high school and started from scratch, gradually transform into an internationally renowned painter? In 2016, a documentary "Van Gogh in China" premiered in Amsterdam, allowing the world to see his story. But the bitterness and hard work behind it, an ordinary oil painting worker, can be hailed as "Chinese Van Gogh"?
Zhao Xiaoyong, a man born in 1972 in a farming family in Shaoyang, Hunan, due to the poverty of his family, his father died early, and his mother could not bear the heavy burden of the family. This decision became the biggest regret of his life. To this day, whenever he mentions the situation back then, Zhao Xiaoyong still feels heartache.
When he was a teenager, he did not choose to give up in the face of the cruel reality of life, but with a glimmer of hope for the future, he came to the special economic zone in the south - Shenzhen alone. When he first arrived in this strange city, he faced countless rejections and failures at a young age. The hardships of life even made him homeless for a while, but it also forged his tenacious character.
Fate always seems to be testing Zhao Xiaoyong. Just when he was about to starve to death in the streets, a chance came to him. A rattan basket factory is looking for a fine sketcher, whose main job is to color the strokes of patterns on resin paintings. Zhao Xiaoyong, who has a natural interest in painting, successfully passed the interview and stayed with his enthusiasm. In this way, he found a bit of stability in the rattan basket factory, and he also came into contact with painting-related work for the first time.
What really changed his life was a sudden phone call. A fellow villager who works as a painter in Dafen Village called him and said that there was an urgent need for manpower there, and that the work was easy and the income was good. After listening to the description of the fellow, Zhao Xiaoyong was moved. He resolutely quit his job in the rattan basket factory and went to Dafen Village full of hope.
But after arriving at Dafen Village, Zhao Xiaoyong found that it was far from being as beautiful as the villagers described. Dafen Village, sometimes even jokingly referred to as the "Big Dung Village", has a harsh environment, full of sewage and foul smells. But at this time, he had no way out, so he could only choose to stay.
Dafen Village, a little-known small village, has gradually developed into an industrial gathering place mainly for imitating famous oil paintings since a wealthy Hong Kong businessman trained the first batch of painters here in the late 80s of the last century. It was here that Zhao Xiaoyong began his career as a painter, initially imitating the works of Van Gogh. His starting point was not high, and his daily work was to repeatedly paint copies of those world-famous paintings on canvas. But it is this mechanical repetition that gives him a deeper understanding and perception of the lines and colors of his paintings.
As time passed, Zhao Xiaoyong's painting skills became more and more sophisticated, and he began to add his own understanding and innovation to his paintings. Although these small changes were not noticed at the beginning, he always insisted on his artistic exploration. Slowly, his works began to gain recognition in foreign markets, and orders gradually increased. Zhao Xiaoyong has gradually grown from an ordinary painter to an artist with an independent style.
Just as his career was on the rise, a documentary called "Van Gogh in China" brought his story to the international stage. This film not only records his artistic career, but also shows the bitterness and struggle behind him more deeply. As a result, Zhao Xiaoyong's name became more known, and his life changed dramatically.
Success did not make Zhao Xiaoyong forget his original intention. While enjoying the joy and sense of accomplishment brought by fame, he spends more time in the studio, continuing to explore and create. He always insists that the value of an artist lies in being able to constantly surpass oneself and create works that touch people's hearts.
Zhao Xiaoyong's story is a typical grassroots counterattack. How did an ordinary person who was born in a rural area and dropped out of junior high school become an artist known as "Chinese Van Gogh" step by step through his own efforts and talents? This is not only because of his superb skills in imitating Van Gogh, but more importantly, he continued to explore in imitation and finally found his own artistic language.
Zhao Xiaoyong's story tells us that no matter what your background is, as long as you have dreams and perseverance, you can create an extraordinary life. He used his own experience to verify the old saying: "God rewards hard work". In the difficult environment, it is not only his highly skilled brush, but also his indomitable heart. From imitation to originality, Zhao Xiaoyong not only lived his own artistic life, but also won a place for Chinese painters on the world stage. Isn't his story the epitome of countless ordinary people's struggles?