San Francisco-based painter Benjamin Wu is among a growing number of artists born and educated in China, who have immigrated to the United States since their country opened its doors to Western thought in the mid-1980s. Thoroughly grounded in the disciplines of traditional realism, their considerable talents are enriching the world of Western art by encouraging viewers to look at America and its history through fresh eyes.

Reflecting back nearly four decades, Wu, who was raised in the small coastal village of Zhanjiang on the southern tip of China facing Hong Kong and the South China Sea, recalls the intense competition he faced in seeking to realize his dream of studying art at the Guangzhou Fine Art Institute. Passing the institute’s strenuous entrance exam, 17-year-old Wu was one of only 20 students accepted by the institute in 1978.

Benjamin Wu (Califonia)

Hay Harvest at Ardenwood Farm
Oil
38″x56″
“This painting depicts a hay harvest scene, during the 1880s at Ardenwood, a farm located south of the San Francisco Bay area. A gold miner, named George Patterson, started his farm in the mid-1850s and named it Ardenwood. His produce and cattle were sold to the miners in the gold fields and in San Francisco. Today, the Ardenwood farm is still a working farm that produces grains and vegetables.”

Benjamin Wu (Califonia)

Amelia
Oil
20″x16″
“Amelia is a portrait of a pioneer girl. While a seemingly simple painting, the lighting creates a charming visual effect, as if you can see her innocent soul through her eyes in the shadow.”