林智信   Lin, Chih-Hsin   1936~

Born in Guiren district, Tainan city, Chih Hsin Lin is an internationally renowned printmaker, oil painter, and sculptor. His exquisite woodcut prints have been displayed in several international printmaking exhibitions held in South Korea, the United Kingdom, Austria and the United States. The National Museum of History also invited the artist to exhibit his works in South Korea, Japan, the United States and the Netherlands. Celebrating the Mazu Festival is widely regarded as Lin’s chef d’oeuvre. It took him 20 years to complete the 25 meter long woodcut print, an artistic masterpiece reflecting the history and vernacular culture of Taiwan. His oil paintings have been nominated seven times for the Salon d’Automne (Autumn Salon) between 1999 and 2001 and between 2003 and 2006. Numerous grand prizes have been bestowed on him, such as the Literary and Art Works Awards of the Chinese Writers’ & Artists’ Association and the Excellence Award of the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award. In the Dictionary of International Biography, compiled and published by the Cambridge International Biographical Center in 2003, Lin is listed as one of the 11 people who have made the most outstanding contributions to the world in the 21st century. He was also the only Chinese among the eleven selected in that year. His work Dragon Dance was nominated for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition in the same year, which made him the first Taiwanese artist to take this honor with a woodcut print in the 90 year history of this prestigious exhibition.