Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen Juzheng doesn't just collect unusual stones he finds along the Yellow River banks, like many other residents in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province. He also turns them into works of art by painting them according to the stones’ colors, shapes and textures.
The 58-year-old folk artist has now painted on these special stones his own reproductions of many historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, where large numbers of Buddhist frescos have survived for more than 1,000 years.
Chen's vivid artistic works, including the nine-color deer, sleeping Buddha and Bodhisattva seen in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, were praised by many local painters and residents in the Northwestern metropolis.
Chen said he likes to take a walk along the Yellow River banks and bring home any odd stones he happens to find there.
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
After Chen cleans the stones, he then paints them with suitable themes from the Mogao Grottoes paintings and frescoes according to their size, shape and texture.
"But not all the stones can be painted," Chen said.
"Actually only a few of the stones can be used to reproduce and paint the historical Mogao Grottoes paintings and frescoes and then become artistic works loved by the public," he told local media.
A lifelike sleeping Buddha can be painted on a stone when its shape, colors and textures are suitable for such an image, Chen explained as he showed the media one of his stone paintings.
"But it took me many years to find such a suitable stone for painting the sleeping Buddha," he said.
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen, who holds a deep affection for the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, has been painting for more than four decades.
Chen began to visit the Mogao Grottoes to paint versions of the historical paintings and frescoes in the early 1980s, when he was still very young.
Chen said, when he first saw the historical paintings and frescoes in the Mogao Grottoes, he was deeply attracted by the Buddhist art and considered the site a world treasure of art.
"Mogao Grottoes should be a place many painters like to visit," he added.
Chen said he has planned in the following months to enrich the stone paintings by adding modern and innovative elements to his artistic works.
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Chen Juzheng, 58, from Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, collects stones from the Yellow River banks and paints them with historical paintings and frescoes found in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. (Photos by Xu Xue/for chinadaily.com.cn)
