Chang Xiufeng, an amateur artist dubbed “Grandma Van Gogh” in China, paints a picture. (Photo/CCTV's official Weibo account)

Chang Xiufeng, an amateur artist dubbed “Grandma Van Gogh” in China, died on August 1 at the age of 83, according to Nanfang Metropolis Daily and CCTV News.

Chang was an illiterate woman from the countryside in central China’s Henan province. She was not able to read or write, and never trained to be a painter.

She started painting in her 70s, to show the country scenes to her granddaughter, who was born and raised in the city. The best-known piece from Chang is Sunflowers, with the same name as Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece.

“I can express myself through art as long as I can pick up my crayons,” Chang once said.

In 2007, Chang displayed her work at an exhibition for charity in Hong Kong and donated all the proceeds to poverty-stricken areas of the mainland.

The painting of Chang Xiufeng. (Photo/Chang Xiufeng's Weibo account)

The painting of Chang Xiufeng. (Photo/Chang Xiufeng's Weibo account)

The painting of Chang Xiufeng. (Photo/Chang Xiufeng's Weibo account)