Lu Lin''s painting exhibition in New York City.
Lin Lu''s oil paintings can be classified into three distinct categories.
Firstly, she ventured into the realm of artistic interpretation of the Bible, akin to the Christian paintings that have woven the Bible''s stories into images throughout history.
A profusion of flowers bloom in Lin Lu''s backyard garden, many of which have been immortalized on her canvases.
The Mayflower''s significance runs deep. Legend has it that the crown of thorns adorning the head of Jesus Christ, as He embarked on His fateful journey to the cross, was made from the branches of the Mayflower. This sacred wood, the Hawthorn, a representative deciduous species of the rose family, is named the
Mayflower because it blossoms in May. The Mayflower embodies this connection and the symbolism of Exodus from Egypt. In the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, we find echoes of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which in turn inspired the Mayflower''s voyage from Europe to North America.
In art, the Mayflower thus becomes an emblem of faith''s Exodus.
Art, while often adorned with the Üeeting beauty of flowers and landscapes, takes on a deeper resonance when connected with the essence of faith.
For Lin Lu, her art transcends the surface, infusing flowers, landscapes, and people with profound connotations of life.
Her paintings tell a unique story - one of life''s intricacies, pain, regret, commitment, trust, healing, and hope.
In each painting, one can find the "Mayflower" that leads us out of our own personal Egypt. These works offer solace and inspiration to those who find themselves lost and adrift in the complexities of life.
Secondly, she incorporated her personal life and faith journey into her paintings, tracing her heritage back to the Republican era when her great-grandfather was already a pastor. Her life has been a tapestry of displacement and longing, spanning from China to distant shores, all while walking with the Lord.
Lastly, her art provides a profound testimony of Chinese house churches.
As one of the founders of the Early Rain Blessing fellowship, she bore witness to the entire journey of the Blessing of the Early Rain Church. In many ways, Lin Lu employed her artistry as a tool to inscribe a contemporary history of the house church in China.
Separated by vast oceans and continents, Lin Lu, residing in the United States, often yearns for her brothers and sisters in her homeland, China. Her heart is consumed by concern for Christians seeking their own modern-day Exodus from the confines of Egypt, seeking the freedom to practice their faith.
The United States was born from the ideals of the Puritans who journeyed to North America aboard the Mayflower. Escaping the constraints of Europe, they transformed North America into a land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, at one point, a shining beacon of Christian faith and a city upon a hill.
Today, the poignant metaphor of Moses'' Exodus still resonates, and the Mayflower Church, a recent addition to the United States from China, has actively partaken in this enduring historical narrative. This narrative has become intertwined with Lin Lu''s artistic creations, serving as the focal point of her most recent work.