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Artist He Qi Visits Linden Gallery

“Jesus Appears to His Disciples” by He Qi.

Linden Gallery is honored to host He Qi, China’s most internationally sought after contemporary Christian artist, at a “meet the artist” event on June 29 from 2 – 5 pm. His works will be on display from June 28 – July 31.

Qi’s vibrant, energetic paintings capture biblical scenes in a way that lets the stories tell themselves. The paintings are created using Japanese gouache (tempura) paint in stunning color.

During the Cultural Revolution, Qi, then a high school student, was sent to the fields to do hard physical labor.

Qi said, “I wasn’t strong enough to work in the fields. In those days every little town with a wall needed a painting to venerate. I thought maybe if I could paint Chairman Mao’s portrait, I would be lucky!”

And lucky he was, since his painting of the Chairman won a painting competition and he was relieved from fieldwork. Qi was taught to paint using magazine pictures of Renaissance works. “By day, I painted Chairman Mao. By night, Raphael’s Madonna!”

“It was a time of great struggle. Everywhere you turned people were rioting in the streets, and condemning everyone else. I looked into the peaceful eyes of the Raphael’s Madonna, and it touched my heart.”

Later, Qi became the first person from China after the Cultural Revolution to earn a Ph.D. in religious art.

Linden Gallery, open 10 am – 5 pm daily, is located at 12001 Mink River Road in Ellison Bay. For more information call 920.854.2487.