Artist draws inspiration from home city

URUMQI - To many locals of Kashgar in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the ancient city has always had a dull yellowish-brown hue due to the dominant color of its buildings. But to 25-year-old Mamattursunjian Mamatimen, the city in which his artistic dream ignited is fairly colorful.

Born and raised in Kashgar, Mamattursunjian followed in the footsteps of locally renowned artists, and started to paint at the age of 10.

"As a child, the monochrome scenery impressed me a lot, and I found no other way but to illustrate the city in a single color, a style which prevails among the local painting community," he says.

Dirty and messy, the ancient city of Kashgar used to be an unpleasant place for both residents and tourists owing to its lack of water pipes, power grid and other infrastructure.

A renovation project with an investment exceeding 7 billion yuan ($1.08 billion) was launched in 2010 and completed five years later, giving the ancient city a vibrant new look.

That's why when Mamattursunjian stopped by an alley one day and tried to sketch it, he suddenly realized that the seemingly unchanging city had changed, and his painting style soon followed suit.

"Thanks to the renovation, Kashgar has become tidier and much more attractive, encouraging a growing number of youngsters to come here," he says, adding that the substantial changes in the city landscape has stimulated him to think out of the box and explore more artistic possibilities.

In 2019, Mamattursunjian embarked on an art tour that took him to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu province, the 798 Art District and Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and the Bund in Shanghai.

"A professor with CAFA told me that the color and structure of paintings themed around the ancient city had not changed since the 1970s, and that it was time for us young painters to make a difference," he recalls.

In the same year, he embraced his transitional period of artistic creation, when he painted Ushering In A New Era, a work blending the ancient city and modern buildings into one.

"Just like in those big cities, ancient and modern elements are perfectly combined in Kashgar today," he says. "I changed my way of painting because I am eager to present its real look."

Afterward, the young man made even bolder moves in reforming the traditional color adopted by his predecessors.

"Scarlet, pink, purple, blue and other visually intriguing colors are uncommon in street view paintings of Kashgar, yet vividly reflect the aesthetic preference of today's youngsters and how they connect themselves to ancient history," he explains.

"A young artist from Yunnan province came by the other day and told me that my works were unique and had impressed him the most after visiting all of the galleries on the street," says Mamattursunjian proudly.

Mamattursunjian runs a gallery and is now receiving growing attention from young people as he posts videos on Weibo, Douyin and other social media platforms to promote his paintings.

"I really hope that my work can serve as a bridge to attract more youngsters here to appreciate the beauty of Kashgar with their own eyes," he says.