Famous artist Chen Lin’s deep love of Laos
Dear friends around the world,
When people of different countries and cultures interact with each other with an open mind, more tolerance and acceptance will arise in the world.
Chinese artist Chen Lin, famous for his scenery of Laos and its people.
I live in Malaysia, a beautiful and diverse country where harmony is part of mainstream living. Therefore I am always happy to read news about people who not only understand but embrace another culture. The painter, Mr. Chen Lin is a shinning example of this. Laos has 49 ethnic groups or tribes, and the beautiful diversity of its people is what makes Laos rich in its cultural heritage.
I also like stories about people who made it against all odds. As someone who grew up under challenging circumstance and having to make it on my own since I was 15, I can relate to the hardship that Mr Chen Lin had to endure, as well as the kindness he has received that encouraged him to continue pursuing his passion and goals.
Tsem Rinpoche
Chinese painter Chen Lin talks about his deep ties to Laos and its people
By Wei Xi Source:Global Times Published: 2017/7/12 18:33:39
Devout by Chen Lin (Photo: Courtesy of Chen Lin)
There are some artists who aim to make a long-lasting name for themselves in the field of art, and then there are some artists who want nothing more than to bring a little bit of happiness to people. Sixty-year-old Chinese painter Chen Lin certainly belongs to the latter group.
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A majority of Chen’s paintings depict the lives of ordinary people living in China or Southeast Asian countries. Due to the simple and straightforward nature of his painting style, his works have received a warm welcome around the world.
In June, an exhibition of Chen’s works was held in Hong Kong as part of activities celebrating the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to China.
Interestingly enough, this Chinese artist is actually often associated with Laos, a result of the 15-year period during which his art focused on the scenery of Laos and its people.
Living in Laos
Although Chen went to art school, he never imagined he would find himself making a living as an artist overseas.
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Like many in the Chinese mainland who were born in the 1950s, Chen had a stable job designing ads for a State-run company. However, he was laid off in 2000, a time when many State-run companies began restructuring.
The idea of heading to Laos was planted in Chen’s head by a Laotian man he encountered one day while sketching the landscape in Xishuangbanna, South China’s Yunnan Province.
“Have you ever thought about going to Laos?” the man asked him. Later he helped Chen to get a visa.
Chen’s first trip to Laos in 2003 didn’t go as smoothly as he had imagined. He ended up getting robbed and found himself lacking the money to return home to China.
To earn some money, Chen set up shop near the Mekong River and began drawing portraits for people. Charging only 5,000 Lao kip (60 cents) per painting, Chen’s business attracted a large number of customers, who found that having their portrait drawn was actually cheaper than taking a photo and getting it developed. His business became so popular that sometimes the police had to get involved to help keep the crowd orderly.
To avoid having his customers wait too long, Chen decided he would paint each portrait in under 20 minutes. Soon enough, he found his skills had greatly improved. Two years later, he opened his first gallery in Laos.
Deep love
Chen has been to a number of countries now, painting his way from Vietnam to Myanmar and on to Thailand. Yet, Chen said his deepest feelings are still reserved for Laos.
“Laos is a home base for me. Whenever I go, I return to my gallery there, shut the door and paint,” Chen said.
Chen told the Global Times that he has been deeply impressed by the honest, simple and warm hearts of Laotians over and over again.
He recalled that one time a young man he didn’t know ran over to protect his works during a big rainstorm. Another time, a group of locals raised money to purchase all of his works for an exhibition.
“When I first started and didn’t have any money, a monk shared his food with me and brought me paper and pencils. He encouraged me to keep drawing and painting, to not give up. I came across so many people like this, which has meant a lot to me,” Chen noted.
Source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1056059.shtml
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Chinese artist Chen Lin, famous for his scenery of Laos and its people. Paintings are not just pieces of art that are good to look at. It is a painting induces a feeling from within the artist. The paintings are emotion that poured out from the soul of an artist. There are many artists who’ve left their legacy behind, they were obsessed about what they did and created their artworks. They wanted the world to continue remembering them for generations to come . But not Chen Lin , he just wanted to bring happiness to people . His paintings are simple yet it paints a thousand words of the lives of Laos people.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
It is really touching and warm my heart to read the story of Chen. Truly an inspiring story. I love how he triumphs over all odds that were against him and made it. While he had been robbed of his possession in Laos, it was also in Laos he found the simple yet powerful encouraging to carry on. Really love his beautiful artistic painting. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this inpsiring story. _/\_
Karma is very interesting, I suppose Chen Lin has much Karma with the Laotian people and country. Also his paintings capture the spirit of the moment almost like one is taking a camera picture of the situation.
It is really touching and warm my heart to read the story of Chen. While he had been robbed of his possession in Laos, it was also in Laos he found the simple yet powerful encouraging to carry on. The genuine people from Laos has nothing to gain in seeing Chen succeed but they help and give him the chance to succeed anyway. It felt almost like a miracle story. Thank you for sharing.
Artist Chen Lin’s passion for art and painting found its expression in his paintings of ordinary people living in China and the South-east Asian countries. However, it was chiefly in Laos that he did most of his paintings, having spent 15 years there. His focus was on the people and the scenery. Though he has painted his way from Myanmar to Vietnam, yet his heart and deepest feelings lie in Laos.
Being a simple man, with little thought for himself, he paints purely to bring happiness to others.The people of Laos have captured his heart by their “honest, simple and warm hearts”.
He narrates stories of how a Laotian, who was a stranger, protected his painting from the rain,during a rainstorm. Another group of local people raised money to purchase all his works for an exhibition. He also tells the story of how a monk helped him, when he first started, by sharing his food with him, when he did not have money even for a meal. The same monk brought him paper and pencils for him to draw. He kept encouraging him and telling him not to give up.
Chen Lin is filled with such fond memories of the Laotians, that he keeps the deepest places in his heart for them.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article on Mr Chen Lin.
Truly truly an inspiring story. I love how he triumphs over all odds that were against him and made it. These are the kind of stories that show us real “superheroes” (not the ones that fly) but the ones who don’t give up easily. It is inspiring to see how “hardships” can somehow end up being a true blessing in disguise.
I do believe that hardships do shape someone drastically to become more than they can ever imagine they could, and those who choose to come out at the positive end, they always have these same qualities like Mr. Chen. Reminds me very much of Rinpoche actually.
Stories like Mr. Chen is really empowering. If we have the same kind of attitude he has, whatever we do in life, we will surely succeed. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such true life stories that help on our journey in life and to also wake us up from our slumber.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article about Chen Lin. He is such a simple man and he is lucky enough in Laos that the people there welcome him with warmth and very helpful when he was in trouble. The monk that he met made him feel motivated. This is an inspiring article.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Wow….such a inspiriting man Chen Lin with word of encouragement from a friend,he travels to a relatively small unkown foeirgn country to Loas for his love for paintings.That was in 2003,since then he never left Loas,even he was robbed,But with the help of a monk and advice he never give up. He was fascinated with the savagery of nature and society in Laos and believes it is a perfect environment for an artist to work in. He spent months in the remote villages of different tribes, making hundreds of pencil sketches and return his studio to paint in oils scenes of everyday life, people’s faces, and images of nature.Amazing from what i saw its beautiful so real.He lives simple painting to bring happiness to the people .Most of his paintings are sold to the tourists from different countries.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this inspiring post .
To remind us,never give up , to get what you want in life.