"To be able to paint something like this without a day's training This old lady is a beacon of inspiration to everyone.
Chang Xiufeng, a self-taught painter, died on August 1, 2019, at the age of 83 years old.
She picked up a paintbrush for the first time at the age of 70, and has inspired millions of people to make whatever changes are needed in order to live their best life.
Before her newfound passion for art, Mrs. Chang was just an ordinary farmer living in the JiangJia village of FangCheng county in Henan province.
She hadn't been to school nor explored anything beyond her own county. She was illiterate and unable to paint.
Her life's turning point came at a tragic time. Following her husbands death on New Years day in 2003, Mrs. Changs son convinced her to leave home and move to Guangzhou, a strange, intimidating, massive metropolis.
Needless to say, Grandma Chang was far past her comfort zone.
After settling in her sons apartment, her granddaughter ecstatically inquired about stories from past life experiences. The old lady relished telling her granddaughter about how fun and lovely her hometown was, speaking fondly of the hawthorn tree she had grown herself which, unfortunately, was rather hard to imagine for this young child as she was unaware of what a hawthorn tree looked like.
Growing up all their life in an urban environment like Guangzhou, where there are no hawthorn trees to be found, picturing such rare sights is hard for children her age.
This is when Mrs. Chang picked up a few crayons laying around her granddaughters desk and drew up a picture of a hawthorn tree.
Her granddaughter understood what the drawing represented the moment she saw it.
Her daughter-in-law is an Arts major and stumbled upon Chang Xiufengs painting one evening after coming home from work. She was speechless.
Mrs. Chang had just become attached to her paintbrush, using it as a communicative bridge between her hometown and her young granddaughter. Whatever she could not understand or picture in her mind, her grandmother would draw.
Although Chang Xiufeng could not write, she used her paintings as a way to express herself.
Despite her eye problems, the painting would wash all negative thoughts away and replace them with joy and love. She would only stop when her eyes would begin to ache.
The popularity of her paintings didnt take off until her son, Mr. Jiang, started to upload and share them on his own blog back in 2006.
One of her most famous and admired paintings is the one depicting sunflowers, which has earned her the online nickname of Grandma Van Gogh.
Soon after, she was invited to hold a one-month exhibition in HongKong.
She often uses the story behind her paintings as a means to evoke feelings of homesickness, particularly resonating for those who live in large urban areas of the country, far away from their own hometowns.
Even at 80 years old, her eyes did not seem to bother her much anymore anytime she had a paintbrush in her hand.
I can and will express myself through art for as long as I can pick up my crayons, Mrs. Chang said.
After sharing so much inspiration with the rest of the nation over the years, Grandma Van Gogh has passed away. But her spirit lives on, inspiring us all to chase after and achieve what we know will help us live our best, most fulfilling life.
May you rest in peace, Mrs. Chang.
Source: CCTV
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