Nativity

Artist: He Qi

He Qi is a Chinese artist who now lives and works in California.

When growing up in China, it was a very different time politically. He Qi wanted to paint but was only allowed to paint pictures of Chairman Mao. He once found a copy of Raphael’s "Madonna and Child” printed in a magazine. He liked the image so much that he started to copy it, but had to do so in secret. After the revolution, he was the first person to earn a PhD in Religious art and has received many awards for his artwork. 

When he studied art, he found that biblical scenes often had European-looking people, in European settings. This inspired He Qi to depict biblical stories with a Chinese background, and Chinese characters.

This painting looks a little bit like a stained glass window. Do you like the way the artist has used different lines and shapes to make the picture?