Claremont COURIER/Friday, November 18, 2016
Professor shares his passion in CST art show
A
rtist He Qi was drawn
to faith and artistic ex-
pression at a time when
both were considered heresy.
He was attending middle school in
Nanjing, China in 1966 when Chairman
Mao launched his Cultural Revolution.
The decade-long movementaimed at
ridding the country of creeping capital-
ism and lingering traditions threatening
true Communist ideologywould ul-
timately cause the death, incarceration,
impoverishment and suffering of mil-
lions of people.
Much of the revolution was under-
taken by Red Guards, young people who
became zealous soldiers in the war
against all things bourgeois.
Up to that time, He Qi (pronounced
her-chee) had his future mapped out for
him. His father, a mathematics professor
at Nanjing University, hoped young He,
his third and most clever child, would
follow in his footsteps. A neighbor, Lu
Sibai, an art professor at Beijing Normal
University, saw change in the wind,
however.
One day as He was playing with his
friends, Mr. Sibai beckoned, saying,
Please follow me. Ill show you some-
thing interesting.
Mr. Sibai was a master of Chinese ink
painting but had also studied in Paris,
gaining renown for his western-style oil
paintings with Chinese themes. He
showed Mr. Qi his collection of land-
scapes, still lifes and portraits.
It wasnt a good time to pursue math-
ematics, Mr. Sibai said. Did he want to
learn how to paint? Mr. Qi was inter-
ested, and Mr. Sibai began teaching him
the rudiments of painting.
Mr. Sibais warning was prescient.
The university closed, and Mr. Qis fa-
ther became a laborer. He lost his
dream, Mr. Qi said.
His mother lost even more.
The middle school where she taught
was closed and her job replaced with
compulsory political study sessions. One
day, she quarreled with the director. It
was almost 6 oclock and she wanted to
go home and cook for her family.
Though the director insisted the session
continue, Mr. Qis mother gathered up
her papers and notes. In doing so, she in-
advertently knocked a book to the
ground.
It was the Little Red Book, a collec-
tion of Maos quotes that served as a
bible for the revolutionary movement.
How dare you drop Chairman Maos
book! the director shouted.
He Qis mother was branded a
counter-revolutionary. She was ordered
to kneel in front of Maos portrait in the
public square twice-daily for a month,
once at 6 a.m. and again at 6 p.m., beg-
ging for the Chairmans forgiveness. The
humiliation prompted a nervous break-
down, from which she never recovered.
He was sent away from home to a re-
mote commune located in the north part
of the city of Zhangshu. There, he en-
gaged in backbreaking agricultural labor.
15
FARRIGHT: He Qi
poses with one of
his paintings re-
cently at Claremont
School of Theology,
where he is a visit-
ing scholar. A selec-
tion of Mr. Qis work
can be viewed at the
schools library.
COURIER
photo/Steven
Felschundeff
The teen was just one of 17 million in-
tellectual youths conscripted into the
up to the mountains and down to the
farms program. They are now called the
Lost Generation.
Mr. Qi managed to get a hold of a cou-
ple art magazines. The cover of one fea-
tured a warm-hued paining of the
Madonna and child by Renaissance mas-
ter Raphael, with the baby so smiling.
The teen was inspired and painted his
rendition of the idyllic scene.
One day, an old schoolmate came to
visit Mr. Qi. When he saw his friends
painting, he said, This is Christian. It
turned out he came from a Christian
family, something hed never discussed.
Even before the Cultural Revolution,
many viewed Christianity as a perni-
cious Western influence.
The boys talked aloud that night. Mr.
Qis friend told him a bit about the reli-
gion and then sang a hymn. Listening to
the refrain of Hallelujah while gazing
at the starry sky had a strong impact on
He.
Occasionally, Mr. Qi and a few other
boys would return to the city, stowing
away in a truck-bed full of pigs being
transported to the city. Hed check in on
his fractured family and learn more
about painting from Mr. Sibai.
Mr. Qi was eager to learn more about
Christianity. On his next visit to Nanjing
Mr. Qi visited a famous local landmark,
the gothic-styled St. Pauls Cathedral.
To his surprise, the immense Episco-
pal church was filled with machinery.
With the church turned into a factory and
most others in the country destroyed, it
would be years before Mr. Qi got the re-
ligious education he craved.
Still, he used his wits to improve his
situation. A competition was launched to
find a teen artist skillful enough to paint
Chinas revered leader. Mr. Qi, hoping
for a break from hard labor, entered the
fray. His portrait of Chairman Mao was
considered the best, and he embarked on
a double life.
He still continued to work on his com-
mune but he occasionally traveled to an-
other province, staying for perhaps a
week to create a portrait of Chairman
Mao to inspire residents. Then hed re-
turn to his commune.
He also continued to pursue his secret
passion. Hed managed to get more art
magazinesone featuring a reproduc-
tion of Leonardo da Vincis Last Sup-
perand continued to paint iconic
Christian scenes.
By day I painted Chairman Mao. By
night, I painted Madonnas, he said.
In 1972, Chairman Mao suffered a
stroke. The people of China had little
love for the Gang of Four, a group that
included Maos ruthless wife Jiang Qing
and which attempted to fill the vacuum.
Maoism was on the wane, and schools
began to reopen.
Mr. Qi remained in the countryside for
a couple more years, but eventually went
on to study at Nanjing Normal Univer-
sity. By 1983, he was a professor at Nan-
jing Union Theological Seminary, where
he taught Medieval art.
He suddenly had full access to the
Bible and religious courses. The more
information he got, the more Christianity
resonated with Mr. Qi.
I was moved by faculty and students.
I joined their worship, he said. In 1989
he was baptized. He studied Medieval art
in Hamburg, Germany, and toured ex-
tensively through Europe. There, Mr. Qi
glimpsed artistic masterpieces ranging
from gilded Byzantine icons to Picassos.
In 1992, he earned a doctorate in reli-
gious art from the Nanjing Art Institute.
He now divides his time between the
United States and China, bringing his
artistic and theological knowledge to
bear as a visiting professor or artist-in-
residence.
Most recently he has been a professor-
in-residence at Claremont School of
Theology, a two-year post that will come
to an end this February. Between now
and then, you can visit the CST library
to see gicle prints and original paintings
by Mr. Qi as well as a couple of his
works rendered in silk needlework by
traditional Chinese artisans.
Mr. Qis biblical scenes meld influ-
ences ranging from Chinese folk art to
cubism to fauvism. Each painting carries
an atmosphere of devotion and a color
palette as vivid as a stained-glass win-
dow. Mr. Qis use of color reflects his
faith.
In the Creation story in the Hebrew
Bible, God said, Let there be light, he
said.
His artwork has earned him growing
fame, but thats not what drives Mr. Qi.
The Cultural Revolution is over but
the world is still enmeshed in chaos and
violence. Mr. Qi prefers to confront so-
cietys ills through his work.
There is so much suffering around
the world. As an artist, I am trying to as-
sure a peaceful message. Thats impor-
tant, sharing peace, he said. Even
though we are not living in a peaceful
world, when people worship in church,
they say, Peace be with you.
Sarah Torribio
storribio@claremont-courier.com