article_snippet: After the 66-year-old artist history as a Chinese propaganda artist, Shen maintains the 66-year-old artist doesn't see the 66-year-old artist artwork for the Catholic Church in the same light .
article_snippet: Shen's journey from favoured propaganda artist of the People's Liberation Army to papal portraitist is an unusual tale of talent and timing. '
article_snippet: In a bid to depict soldiers as strong and heroic Shen's most famous work, 'Standing Guard for Our Great Motherland', was altered to fit regime standardsfor revolutionary art.
article_snippet: Shen takes pride in knowing Shen art rose to fame in a very challenging time where oil paintings were not easily obtained.
article_snippet: Shen says Shen didn't sell out to the idealised standards of propaganda art that most other Chinese artists copied.
article_snippet: Instead, Shen says Shen relied on nature to guide Shen brush.
article_snippet: Shen takes pride in knowing his art rose to fame in a very challenging time where oil paintings were not easily obtained. '
article_snippet: This is why today if you look back at that time, in China, most artwork is different than mine,' Shen said. '
article_snippet: Shen maintains Shen propaganda days are over saying Shen new works of Pope Francis and Cardinal Pell are a part of normal art history. '
article_snippet: I stopped my propaganda work in the 1970s,' Shen said, adding, 'even church commission work, this is part of normal artwork, part of commission and part of history.'
article_snippet: Geoff Raby, Australia's former ambassador to China who has a print of Shen's 'Standing Guard' in Shen's 'Standing Guard' collection of propaganda art, said Shen's portrait career is a natural progression from the propaganda art and historical paintings that Shen's 'Standing Guard' is most famous for. '
article_snippet: Shen's 'Standing Guard''s painting subjects that Shen's 'Standing Guard' has philosophical connection to and sympathy with,' Raby said in a phone interview.
article_snippet: But Shen's 'Standing Guard' added: 'Shen's 'Standing Guard' also has an eye to commercial reality.'