"A [Falun] Dafa Disciple at the Moment of Organ Harvesting" by Hung Yu Chen: the painting was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2019 NIFPC and depicts the moment when a Falun Dafa adherent, incarcerated for her faith, is forcibly taken away by the doctors in China to harvest her organs, while she is alive and healthy. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
Traditionally, the most revered works of art focused on portraying virtues like benevolence, bravery, sacrifice, and righteousness, thereby capturing the brilliance of humanity on canvas for posterity.
One such unique platform dedicated to reviving these fading essentials of mankind and upholding the traditional art of realistic oil painting is NTD Television’s International Figure Painting Competition (NIFPC). Since its launch in 2008 with a mission to promote “pure beauty, pure goodness, and pure truth,” the competition has been drawing appreciation from renowned fine art professionals across the world.
Based in New York, the NIFPC now has an exclusive and one-of-a-kind collection of pure realistic artworks.
Chairman Kunlun Zhang, 82, who has been working in the arts for 60 years, told The Epoch Times that art should express “truth, goodness, purity, beauty, and brightness.” He said that the NTDTV’s international competition is playing a pivotal role in “saving the human civilization” in this modern era—when “human morality has declined and art has been corrupted and exhausted.”
Zhang said the competition is leading the arts back onto the path of tradition and that it has become an exceptional platform for painters who still prefer to base their work on traditional realism.
"Agony in the Garden" by Eric Armusik. The painting shows the figure of Jesus Christ brightly illuminated during a prayer. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Maria's Wish" by Joseph Daily. The artist told NTDTV in an interview that his artworks "fundamentally express God and praise the Creator." NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Miracle" by Cen Fang: A Youth Award winner at the 2019 NIFPC, the artwork depicts a Falun Gong practitioner sitting cross-legged and meditating. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"A [Falun] Dafa Disciple at the Moment of Organ Harvesting" by Hung Yu Chen: the painting was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2019 NIFPC and depicts the moment when a Falun Dafa adherent, incarcerated for her faith, is forcibly taken away by the doctors in China to harvest her organs, while she is alive and healthy. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
Xiaoping Chen, 51, a two-time gold medalist and now a judge at NIFPC, is the head of the Fine Arts Department at the Northern Academy of Arts in Middletown, New York. Chen said that good artists should possess a calm and compassionate bearing and uphold morality so that they can bring something truly meaningful and enriching into the world with each of their humble creations.
“Art is sacred,” she said. “A real painter would sense the existence of God. We simply imitate things of the nature, whether it is a person or a static object, or a flower, or an animal. We are actually trying to learn and copy the beautiful things that God brings to us.”
Chen said that artists should cultivate a “reverence for the Creator.” They should also be humble and diligent in honing their talents to achieve the best skills that can help them convey “the sacredness and beauty of art.”
“Painters and artists should first be good people so that they can bring true beauty to others. Only when they have beauty in their heart can they bring beauty and positive energy to others, gifting them a beautiful experience of mind, body, and soul,” she said.
"Self Portrait Preparing for Worship": A 2019 bronze-award-winning self-portrait by Joseph Daily. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Unconditional Love" by Kim Myerson won Humanity & Culture Award in the 2014 NIFPC. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Requiem for Dying on Time" by Ricardo Viloria. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Child Fighter" by Philippe Lhuillier. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
The last competition, held in 2019, received over 400 submissions from 258 artists, including the world’s top representational artists, from 46 countries. The 2023 competition is now calling for entries from all professional realism oil painters including fine arts teachers and students; the deadline for submissions is June 15.
A range of awards—including the gold winner prize of $10,000—will be presented at a grand ceremony tentatively scheduled for October this year.
By participating in this competition, the NIFPC says, many artists have realized their inner calling and their shared responsibility toward society: creating works of art that reflect tradition and goodness. “[W]e do believe that there must be some standards for arts, and that artworks must contain true compassion and gracefulness, so that they can endure through long periods of time, helping people elevate to higher dimensions,” the NIFPC states on their website.
“We truly believe that inheriting a traditional, upright moral concept and creating a purely truthful, compassionate, and beautiful artwork will establish a foundation to benefit human society. Also it will set for a bright future for the world. We sincerely hope that foresighted artists can find their mission of being artists and recreate a splendor in the history by participating in the International Figure Oil Painting Competition.”
Art lovers who are interested in buying the reproduction of some of these selected oil paintings can make a purchase at the Inspired Orginal art store: https://www.inspiredoriginal.org/oil-painting
"Upside Down" by Li Hung Yang was awarded an Honorable Mention at the 2019 NIFPC. The painting portrays the torture of a female Falun Gong adherent as the Chinese prison guards forcibly take her thumb impression on a paper that states she has willingly renounced her faith. (NTD International Figure Painting Competition).
The painting "Worldly Journey" by Yu Hsuan Lin won a Humanity & Culture Award. The artwork portrays a Falun Gong adherent crossing a waterlogged road while carrying on his shoulders his little son and a bicycle with informational materials exposing the Chinese regime's persecution of his faith. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Focusing" by Louice Chen. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Fox in the City—NY Music Shop" by Marissa Oosterlee. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
"Milena's Friends" by Clodoaldo Martins. NTD International Figure Painting Competition
Epoch Inspired Staff
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Epoch Inspired staff cover stories of hope that celebrate kindness, traditions, and triumph of the human spirit, offering valuable insights into life, culture, family and community, and nature.
!["A [Falun] Dafa Disciple at the Moment of Organ Harvesting" by Hung Yu Chen: the painting was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2019 NIFPC and depicts the moment when a Falun Dafa adherent, incarcerated for her faith, is forcibly taken away by the doctors in China to harvest her organs, while she is alive and healthy. (NTD International Figure Painting Competition)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F03%2F16%2FET-NTDTV-oil-painting-competition-dafa-disciple-moment-organ-harvesting.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
