Wu Junyan graduated from the China Academy of Art’s School of Painting this year, earning a master’s degree from the New Figurative Painting Studio in the Oil Painting Department. His graduation project, “Timely Rain”, won a gold award and was also showcased in the 14th National Art Exhibition in Beijing. The work employs realistic oil painting techniques to focus on contemporary scenes of rural healthcare in China, highlighting the harmony and warmth within doctor-patient relationships.

Wu was born in a rural family in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, where his parents worked as doctors at a village clinic. They labored day and night, providing medical services to the local community. Growing up, his family life became a vital window for him to understand society and the fate of the nation, serving as an important source of inspiration for his artistic expression.

He says, “As a child, I often dismantled medicine boxes in the clinic and used the packaging paper for doodling. It wasn’t until I grew up that I understood the hardships of my parents’ work, which also fueled my motivation to create. My painting style has gradually matured, but it still requires continuous adjustment and improvement to express genuine emotions and life scenes”.

“Timely Rain” depicts scenes of doctors in rural clinics treating patients, with vividly portrayed characters, relaxed brushstrokes, and well-handled color and spatial elements, fully showcasing the expressive power of oil painting. By titling his work “Timely Rain”, Wu not only captured the urgency with which grassroots doctors address the needs of the people but also implied the timely assistance brought by the country’s rural healthcare reforms to rural patients.

Timely Rain

Artist: Wu Junyan (School of Painting)

Instructor: Ren Zhizhong, He Hongzhou