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Lot Essay
Born in a small village in Guangdong Province, Chen Wen Hsi grew up surrounded by nature. Watching the flocks of sparrows and ducks that roamed around his childhood home, he recalled that he would "watch their shape and form, their habits, their every movement, their individual and communal life." Long hours of observation gave him the ability to paint birds and animals with an extraordinary vibrancy, captured using bold lines within strong compositions. In Bathing Ducks (Lot 479), a piece that has been published in several catalogues of the artist's work, Chen Wen Hsi has painted a flock of waterfowl gliding serenely over a pond's surface. The scene is composed as if we are standing on a riverbank gazing down upon the lively tableau, with the muted bluegrey and ochre tones on the ducks' feathers echoing the colours of the reeds in the lower right corner.
As a student at Shanghai's Xinhua Art Academy, Chen Wen Hsi studied both Chinese and Western styles of painting, incorporating elements of both traditions into his work. His professor Pan Tianshou had a particularly strong influence on Chen's work, as Pan taught the young Chen how to paint with his fingers and inspired him to take greater artistic risks in his work. In Bathing Ducks , Chen has chosen to frame a traditional subject in a subtly avant-garde manner, arranging the ducks and reeds into an S-shape that draws attention to the rhythm and structural composition of the piece. According to Johnson Chang, Chen "believed that no picture could do without a main curve traversing the composition," feeling that strong lines enhanced the overall flow of a painting. Rather than painting the background, Chen uses blank paper to suggest the presence of water, carefully balancing positive and negative spaces in his work.
Chen Wen Hsi moved to Singapore in 1947, where he would become one of the most influential Singaporean ink painters of the 20th century. In an essay reflecting on his life and career as an artist, Chen wrote that, "While principally I specialize in the Chinese school of painting, I find that there is much to learn from the West, especially on composition, harmony, balance, construction of lines, - features which could advantageously supplement the traditional Chinese art." Bathing Ducks exemplifies the artist's ability to harmonize Eastern and Western techniques, showcasing the qualities that make Chen Wen Hsi a pioneer of Singapore modern Chinese painting.
As a student at Shanghai's Xinhua Art Academy, Chen Wen Hsi studied both Chinese and Western styles of painting, incorporating elements of both traditions into his work. His professor Pan Tianshou had a particularly strong influence on Chen's work, as Pan taught the young Chen how to paint with his fingers and inspired him to take greater artistic risks in his work. In Bathing Ducks , Chen has chosen to frame a traditional subject in a subtly avant-garde manner, arranging the ducks and reeds into an S-shape that draws attention to the rhythm and structural composition of the piece. According to Johnson Chang, Chen "believed that no picture could do without a main curve traversing the composition," feeling that strong lines enhanced the overall flow of a painting. Rather than painting the background, Chen uses blank paper to suggest the presence of water, carefully balancing positive and negative spaces in his work.
Chen Wen Hsi moved to Singapore in 1947, where he would become one of the most influential Singaporean ink painters of the 20th century. In an essay reflecting on his life and career as an artist, Chen wrote that, "While principally I specialize in the Chinese school of painting, I find that there is much to learn from the West, especially on composition, harmony, balance, construction of lines, - features which could advantageously supplement the traditional Chinese art." Bathing Ducks exemplifies the artist's ability to harmonize Eastern and Western techniques, showcasing the qualities that make Chen Wen Hsi a pioneer of Singapore modern Chinese painting.