A copy of French painter Henri Rousseau's Exotic Landscape appears on a wall of a traditional Chinese house in Dawangtai village of Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Art galleries are not the only places where famous Western paintings can be exhibited. Now copies adorn the walls of traditional village houses.

A copy of French painter Henri Rousseau's Exotic Landscape, which depicts a jungle scene in which monkeys are cavorting and picking up fruit, was put on the wall of a house in Dawangtai village in the Dongxihu district of Wuhan, Hubei province. Real-life entangled grapevines in front of the house almost add to the visual effect.

Several wall paintings have been completed in the village. At the entrance, a field of sunflowers appears on a wall with the imprimatur of the Chinese Art Gallery Artists' Farm, Wuhan (China). Walk inside and an owl stands on a branch, and no matter from which angle you look at it, the bird seems to be watching you. Walk further and you'll encounter a painting of lotus leaves across the street from a real lotus pond just outside the village.

A painting of an owl standing on a branch appears on the red wall of a house on Cihui Street in Wuhan, Hubei province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Liu Tie, deputy director of Artists' Farm, said the project started in September. Last year, Cihui Street launched a program to enhance Dawangtai village, and decided to renovate the exterior walls of houses. The village's Chinese Art Gallery then proposed the idea of inviting members of Hubei Artist Salon to do the paintings. The idea was immediately approved by the subdistrict.

About 10 painters accepted the invitation. The artists are enthusiastic about the project even though it's not for profit. Before starting to draw, they brainstormed about painting styles and arrangements for every work.

"Famous paintings are integrated into these wall paintings along with local customs," Liu said.

Peng Wei, a teacher at a fine arts institution, was drawing a flower stamen for a painting whose theme was the four seasons. The flowers in the painting, including pomegranate, osmanthus, lotus and plum, are representative of Cihui.

"I've known the two artists Yu Guoyou and Wang Yeguo for a long time. We hit it off immediately when the idea of creating this wall painting came up," he said.

Peng said that to make the painting look more down to earth, they chose to apply colors that are saturated and visually compelling. Because of the recent low temperatures, the water in the palette would freeze, but the three never lost their enthusiasm.

Fine art teacher Peng Wei draws a flower on a house in Dawangtai village. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A painting with the concept of four seasons was created by local artists. Flowers in the painting — pomegranate, osmanthus, lotus and plum — are representative of plants in Cihui. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Villagers often watched artists painting. Yin Xiaochun and her husband have lived in Dawangtai for more than 40 years. On the wall of their house, a painting named Lotus was created by Wuhan Artists Association Vice-President Jiang Zhongchao.

"Paintings on the walls are so pretty," Yin said. "Every time my sons and daughters come, they always take photos outside the house."

The village has also attracted tourists, who want to take pictures, she said.

Six wall paintings have been completed, Liu Tie said. Cihui district is still working on painting the exterior walls of other houses, aiming to have more than 20 paintings in the village to make the place a must-see spot for tourists.

A wall painting called Lotus is painted by Wuhan Artists Association Vice President Jiang Zhongchao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A full wall of strawberries and a girl are painted on the wall of a village house in Dawangtai village, Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]