TO commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, French painter Christian Poirot has created an emotional painting to honor the Nanjing Massacre, which he will donate to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in December.

Titled “Deliverance,” the painting measures an impressive 3.25 meters tall by 7.46 meters wide, and is the largest piece Poirot has ever made. It depicts several scenes of atrocities that occurred during the 1937 massacre, confronting the viewer with the bloody ordeal suffered by the victims.

Lasting over six weeks — from December 13, 1937, to January of 1938 — the Nanjing Massacre saw the deaths of around 300,000 Chinese civilians at the hands of Japanese invaders.

“So that the entire world would be able to see the work painted with European eyes, the horror inflicted on the innocents and sacrificed in the name of fascist Japanese ideology,” Poirot said.

Two years ago, the painter was living in China and working on cityscape paintings, when he was shocked by a television news program he saw in his hotel room. Astonished, he witnessed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit the Yasukuni Shrine, where those killed serving the Japanese Empire are honored.

“He visited the Samurais, yes, but also war criminals. When I saw that, I exploded,” Poirot exclaimed.

Shortly after, Chinese friends invited him to tour the Nanjing Massacre memorial hall where he was deeply moved by the homage paid to the victims of the massacre. Returning home, he began reading books written by historians in order to learn more about the history of the tragedy and to become steeped in the details of the event. Before long, he felt the need to act.

“For these people who always welcomed me with such kindness, I will make a painting.”

In January 2015, he set to work. Every morning he woke up and read about the Nanjing Massacre to remain connected to the reality of what happened, before entering his studio to paint.

Working primarily with a spatula, Poirot painted his figures in a non-realist style, but one which is still deeply expressive. The characters’ forms are fragmented, showing images within images and revealing multiple layers to every scene.

When he finally unveiled the finished piece, Poirot said it was a period in which he worked every day with the same pain as the figures in his painting are seen experiencing, and so to donate the painting is also a form of deliverance for him.

“It is necessary to examine oneself deep within in order to paint,” he explained.

Poirot felt that other depictions of the massacre, particularly among his Chinese peers, had been too reserved, often showing the dead but in manners that were sober and aloof. The French painter decided a different perspective was needed. He decided to show the people of Nanjing being killed, instead of already dead.

“I am a French artist having studied discursive knowledge through the study of reasoning. Regarding a scene of massacre, my characters wear many emotions, such as pain, fear, anguish, horror and terror,” he said.

The painting he created was full of dark, turbulent and fragmented images portraying dozens of scenes from the massacre. On the canvas, viewers see Japanese soldiers killing civilians for sport and amusement, while solitary children look on in fear after having lost their families.

“With my painting, I think one sees the scenes, one sees the pain, all the feelings of fear, hate and anguish,” Poirot explained.

The artist discovered his own limits, however, finding that he could not depict some of the more brutal acts recorded in histories of the massacre. Instead, he painted doves flying up from those being killed, as a sign of peace and life, even as the victims lost their bodies.

“It’s as if they were saying, ‘you can take my body, but never my soul’,” he declared.

The French artist explained that he had originally wanted to have the doves form a geographical map of China, but that the format of the painting had made it impossible, even if he hoped that viewers could still imagine what he had not been able to include.

“A painting, first, is always the joy of the eyes which attract, then comes the joy of the spirit which captivates, and after the joy of the heart holds on to the work,” the painter says.

The decision to donate the painting was obvious to Poirot. Even though it would easily be valued at 300,000 euros (US$352,000) or more, the painting represented a gesture of friendship toward China.

“It’s simply because I came to know the Chinese people, who touched me with their kindness,” he affirms. Moved by the people who had welcomed him during his trips through China, he feels that such a gift is the strongest way to demonstrate his appreciation.

A former employee in the chemical industry, Poirot began painting at the age of 26 when an accident left him unable to return to work. Studying first at the regional level and then at the national level in Paris, the native of Alsace quickly developed both passion and technique.

In his career, Poirot enjoyed growing success, with prizes earned in France and the United Kingdom, as well as gallery showings in several countries. He was honored when two paintings on exhibition in Paris were selected by former French President Jacques Chirac for his collection.

The French painter’s relationship with China started only in 2009, when a friend invited him to visit and he first experienced Chinese hospitality and culture. He has visited as many as nine times since then, often painting joyous depictions of the Chinese cityscapes while there.

Indeed, the macabre images of “Deliverance” differ from his usual work, which is bright, colorful and suggesting happiness.

According to the painter, “Deliverance” will be a part of the collection of the Nanjing Massacre memorial hall, and he hopes it will one day be put in a permanent exhibition in order for visitors to see his rendering of the massacre.

Poirot is currently working on new paintings, including a collaborative project with a Chinese painter.