Elaborate Portraits Created On A Grain Of Rice

You’ve heard of microscopic art before, but can you imagine spending months working on one grain of rice to create an elaborate portrait? That is what 58-year-old Taiwanese artist Chen Forng-Shean does, and it’s what I would call extreme minimalist art. According to Chen, this type of art requires great patience, a lot of concentration and physical endurance. He often has to hold his breath to keep his hands still enough to get the details just right.

That reminds me of the artist I wrote about a while back who creates works of art from specs of dust. He was creating Alice from Alice in Wonderland one day when the phone rang. He answered it, and in the process, he accidentally inhaled Alice.

Chen has spent many years learning how to manipulate his breathing to enhance his capabilities when working on a grain of rice. He obviously doesn’t do any of this for the money – it’s all about the personal reward of completing another miniature masterpiece.

Chen hasn’t always preferred to work on a grain of rice. He’s tried a grain of sand and even really thin noodles, but he likes creating portraits on a grain of rice the best. I can’t even imaging making something so spectacular on something as small as a grain of rice, and he definitely deserves all the attention he can get. He sometimes takes more than a month to complete one of his rice portraits.

Chen holds some other claims to fame when it comes to minimalist art aside from these portraits. He’s well known in Taiwan and all over the world for his mad skills. The next time you see his name, you might remember who he is. You are in inspiration Chen! Thank you for sharing your passion with the world.