Dramatic Changes in Mountain Villages Compose a New Chapter: A Study of Zhao Jianqiu's Chinese Painting 'New River Mountain Residence Picture'
（Xiangtan University; Hunan City University, China）
Abstract: This paper examines Zhao Jianqiu's monumental landscape painting, New River Mountain Residence Picture (2024), focusing on its artistic, historical, and sociocultural dimensions. Commissioned by the Rural Revitalization College in Heshan District, Yiyang City, the work documents the transformation of the artificially excavated New River—a 36.71 km waterway completed through manual labor between 1974 and 1976. Employing his self‑devised “inferential perspective,” Zhao integrates traditional Chinese brush techniques with Western compositional methods to depict both rural labor scenes and modern infrastructure. The study analyzes the painting’s compositional structure, thematic content, and technical innovations, situating it within contemporary Chinese art and the national Rural Revitalization Strategy. Findings reveal how Zhao’s work bridges history and modernity, celebrating collective memory while advancing Chinese landscape painting traditions.
Keywords: Zhao Jianqiu; Chinese landscape painting; inferential perspective; rural revitalization; New River; contemporary art