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Talk with the Angels

 

 
 

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Zhao's Angelic World

- The Stories Behind

 

Zhao’s paintings bring smiles to people's faces. A typical feedback from a viewer of his solo show: “Love and peace, this is what I see and feel! Viewing his work is like walking into a dream world. It inspires and reminds us of the beautiful things in life and nature” Here are some recollections of inspirational reactions recorded through the years.

 

 

Emotional Healing
“Your work not only has the power to heal our sorrows, it has made us smile again.”

 
Collectors of Zhao’s painting are not necessarily art specialists. Among many are everyday people who previously never even thought of buying a painting. Below is one of the stories with a great memory told by the staff of one of Zhao’s art gallery in Ginza Tokyo. There was a mid-aged man that came to see Zhao’s solo exhibition, he came into the gallery with an expressionless stare on his face and stood in front of each painting for a long time. The staff offered assistance but the man said that he didn’t want to be disturbed. Later the man left with tears in his eye but he didn’t speak a word. The staff were troubled with the man’s reaction until the next day; the same man came back to the gallery with his wife. They stood in front of a painting and both burst into tears of joy. The wife told the gallery staff that they had recently lost their daughter in an accident; it was such a miserable time for them and they had almost forgotten how to smile. Seeing this exhibition was a total surprise for them, as they have never thought of buying a painting, especially at this tragic time. They expressed that they had never seen so many beautiful images in life, as if walking into heaven. They were especially fond of a painting of a child that looked very much like their lost daughter. It was like a sign that the angels were telling them their baby was fine in heaven and happy. A few months later, the couple contacted the gallery requesting that Zhao could create another painting of their lost daughter, providing the girl’s photograph, hoping to have a painting of their daughter in a heavenly backdrop to keep in their memory forever. A few months later when they received the painting, again they shed tears of joy. The couple visits Zhao each year during his exhibition and told him: “Thank you for doing such a good deed that meant so much for our family. Our lives have already improved a great deal. Your work not only has the power to heal our sorrows, it made us smile again. ”

 

 

   
 
 
 

An artist’s words at heart
“This is the kind of art our society needs”

 

During the Shanghai Art Expo in 1999, an artist came over in tears telling Zhao the impact it has on him after viewing Zhao’s work.
“It is the first time for so long in China that I have seen works that are so beautiful, so pure. There are no words to describe how I feel now; indeed jumping up and down is not exaggerating at all, to describe how excited I am! Your paintings reminded me of the time when I first learnt art and the reason why I loved art so much in the past. I am a so-called professional artist, but honestly, I am ashamed of my art works. I have been following the trend to make a living and my works are full of deformed and bloody images which I even hate myself. For years my life has been like living in hell, painting these hideous images; sometimes I was so depressed to the point of wanting to commit suicide. Today, after I saw your work, I came to understand the great importance and responsibility an artist has to the world. Through your works, I see hope for our society; this is what art should be like, this is the kind of art our society needs. I hope you continue with your spreading of love and peace. From today I will revaluate myself and learn art all over again”

 

 

   
 
 
 

An old lady’s best friend
Let this painting accompany me
and I am sure I will be living happily till I am over a hundred years old.”

 
One day an old lady who was nearly ninety years old came to Zhao’s Solo exhibition in Hokkaido Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, she stood in front of the magnificent colors’ of Zhao’s art works, uncontrollably clapping and mumbling to her self: “Spring!  I finally see spring! So lovely! So lovely!” Tears were in her eyes as the staff of the gallery came to assist her. She brought one of Zhao’s painting right away and told the gallery: “I am from Hokkaido. Actually I have just came out from the hospital, and I am still trying to recover from this illness.  Hokkaido’s winter is so long and freezing. I want to buy this work and hang it in my house, so that I can see hope and Spring everyday of my life. I sincerely thank the artist for giving me a best friend! Let this painting accompany me and I am sure I will be living happily till I am over a hundred years old!”

 

 

   
   
 

Positive input to society
“Inspiration for our next generation”

 

Nearly everyday during Zhao’s solo exhibitions, these kinds of stories are told. Undoubtedly, Zhao’s paintings have a positive and healthy influence upon society, evidenced through countless feedbacks. There were also many schools and hospitals that hung Zhao’s work in their institutions where patients had improvement of mood and children showed signs of developing the love for art. There are many of Zhao’s fans writing to him each year, sending in theirs child’s art work for his comments. They told Zhao that his work had a huge influence on the children; many of them want to grow up just like Zhao, spreading love and peace to the world.

Recently some of China’s national preschool educational institutes had a conference discussing the crisis where educational institutes are currently running out of good examples of art work from the present age that inspires children in a positive way. After seeing Zhao’s work, a few of the directors of the institutes were very excited and told Zhao that they have finally found an artist whose work meets their criteria.

“Zhao’s art works still preserves the classic techniques of the old masters, his work emit love, peace and compassion which would be perfect for the children to learn. What kids study in their early days will later become a great asset, and this will help our next generation develop a healthy way of thinking.”

Zhao will be assisting these institutes giving his every effort to help society in a better way.

     

 

Messanger of Love and Peace

Where does the inspiration come from?