Art is a sacred pursuit; it is also a pursuit full of hardship and struggle. Jack Nie deeply appreciates the challenge faced by an artist, because his wife is also an artist. Often times, an artist must resign himself to struggle in loneliness for years or even decades with little reward or recognition. It is like walking through a long, dark tunnel without seeing any light for a very long time. Jack Nie is such a traveler in solitude. However, instead of giving up, Jack Nie fought like the true warriors of his Chinese ancestry. Using a paint brush as his “weapon” of choice, Jack Nie created an artistic world full of amazing beauty. His oil paintings exhibit a unique style, characterized by bold colors and a free flowing form.
His work combines elements of impressionist masters such as Van Gogh and Monet with the creativity and freedom of modern art,

showing a deep contemplation of life through rich colors and romantic lines. In Jack Nie’s oil painting Modern Divine Comedy, the Inferno uses subdued colors to show distorted human figures struggling in pain, and the Paradiso lays bare the emptiness of a decadent materialism society on a background of flowing gold. This thoughtful work serves as a vivid visual representation of modern society, a two-dimensional sculpture built with brush and paint. The Thinker (Le Penseur) of Rodin is a character sitting on the Gates of Hell. The oil paintings are colorful reflections of the vanity and darkness of a materialism society like the striking scenes in the Gates of Hell. Jack Nie himself is The Thinker sitting atop the Gates of Hell, facing the struggle of life, and lighting up the world with unwavering spiritual pursuit.

The Exhibits by Jack Nie and Leon Nie