Art in a rice paddy
Canceled last year due to COVID, the rice paddy paintings popular in Asia are now back on display. A selection of this year's paddy art.
The power of rice paddy images
The rice paddy images are best viewed from above. After all, they cover many hectares of land. The Japanese city of Gyoda with an image covering more than 2.8 hectares (6.92 acres) is the top recorder-holder. This image, however, shows a rice paddy art image in Shenyang, Northeastern China.
Origins in Japan
The rice field artworks were first created in 1993 by rice farmers in Inakadate, Japan. They aimed to teach elementary school children about the ancient farming culture, and in the process, the farmers sowed older varieties. However, these had completely different colors than the modern ones. This gave rise to the idea of using these contrasts to create images.
Popular in China
In the beginning, the images were rather rough, but the farmers soon honed them with the help of digital technology. The motifs gained more detail and spatial depth. That led to their export success: The images are now popular in many other Asian countries where rice cultivation takes place.
Even stars appear in the landscapes
The motifs are diverse, referring both to the traditional landscape art of the respective country and to their manga or comic characters. Yet even Western celebrities have been honored in the rice fields, such as British Lady Diana or, like here, US actress Audrey Hepburn with counterpart Cary Grant.
The creation of art
The different rice varieties are planted according to a plan, and then it's a matter of waiting. August is usually the best month to experience the images in their full glory.
A tourist magnet
In many areas, viewing towers or platforms have been built next to the art rice fields so that visitors can experience and photograph them in their entirety. Rice field art is bringing unprecedented visitor traffic to many rural areas. It is also a new form of income since an entrance fee is often charged for the viewing platforms.
A brief encounter
Rice field art is extremely ephemeral. Rice is harvested as early as October. Nothing remains but a photo of it. And, of course, a lot of rice to cook and eat.