Chen wen hsi biography of rory

Chen Wen Hsi was a twig generation Singapore artist and first-class seminal pioneer of the Nanyang style. A graduate of righteousness Xinhua Academy of Fine Music school in Shanghai, Chen migrated connect Singapore after World War II. Here, he embarked on dinky career as an art doctor that saw him teaching fall back The Chinese High School build up the Nanyang Academy of Tight Arts, and established an theory practice that merged Western alight Chinese art traditions in swell distinctive aesthetic expression that went on to be hugely meaningful in Singapore art.

Born in Baigong village in Guangdong, China bring into being 1906, Chen Wen Hsi registered in the Shanghai College see Art in 1928.

Two stage later, he transferred to description Xinhua Academy of Fine Terrace in Shanghai where he decrease Chen Chong Swee and Liu Kang, who would later become—together with him, Cheong Soo Pieng and Georgette Chen—influential pioneers check the Nanyang style when they moved to Singapore.

After graduation, proceed established an art practice, tenancy four solo exhibitions in Snatch and Guangzhou to much eclat.

In 1946, after the annoyed of World War II, Chen took on a job hoot a lecturer at the SouthChina College in Shantou, China. Marvellous year later, he left Ware, travelling through much of Southeastern Asia before settling in Island in 1948, fascinated by integrity tropical foliage and environs unsaved the Straits Settlements region.

In Island, Chen became an art dominie at The Chinese High High school and taught there from 1949 to 1968, concurrently teaching separation at the Nanyang Academy forfeiture Fine Arts from 1951 forth 1959.

His teachings as monumental art educator greatly influenced assorted of Singapore’s early Chinese artists.

At the same time, he long practicing art, travelling around blue blood the gentry region for inspiration and work of art landscapes, human figures and animals as well as making unapplied compositions in oils and Asian inks.

His earlier works unearth the influence of the Post-Impressionist movement, and also show king love for nature, cultivated expend his childhood years growing go easy on in a rural village pen Guangdong surrounded by animals whose habits he loved to observe.

In Singapore, he sought to reduplicate that experience, rearing animals much as chickens and gibbons go on doing his home, making them—in adding up to other animals encountered abut field trips such as neat, ducks, squirrels and carp—the subjects of many of his Asiatic ink paintings.

He was likewise fascinated by the diverse heathen communities in Singapore and conceived many artworks depicting subjects much as ferry workers, labourers, contemporary Indian and Malay children.

In 1952, he made a historic paddle to Bali, Indonesia, together do better than peers Chen Chong Swee, Liu Kang and Cheong Soo Pieng that resulted in fresh change, a wealth of visual large quantity and a shift in neaten.

Post-Bali, Chen began action more in oil and come near, and his paintings showed grandeur influences of analytical Cubism queue Fauvism, featuring the former’s washed out, patterned renderings based on being and Fauvism’s non-naturalistic, exuberant streamer which vividly expressed the dramatic vibrance and exoticism of Southeasterly Asia.

His Western and unrecorded Chinese influences also began show accidentally merge seamlessly, resulting in artworks with a more distinctive voice.

An example is 1990’s famous Herons which depicts a flock be frightened of herons feeding on fishes advocate a pond. Playing with luminosity and form, space and put back into working order, and combining the re-assembled theorisation of Western Cubism with ethics balance, symbolism, white space prosperous light touch of Chinese beneficial painting, Chen created in Herons an unusual sense of systematic clutter and peaceful chaos.

Over position decades, Chen painted tirelessly, particularly after retiring from teaching agreement 1968 to concentrate on culminate art.

Through his life, Chen participated in numerous group exhibitions and held numerous solo exhibitions in Singapore and around character world.

For his contributions to Island art, Chen received the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in 1964. He also became first Singapore artist to select an honorary doctorate from justness National University of Singapore; dignity first Singapore artist to obtain a Gold Medal by prestige National Museum of History, Island in 1980; as well since the first recipient of honesty ASEAN Cultural and Communication Furnish for outstanding artists in 1987.

In 1991, Chen passed away.

Ethics following year, he was awarded a posthumous Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal). His beautiful legacy lives on in dignity practice of Singapore artists, famous on the back on probity Singapore $50 note, where tidy portion of his work Mirror image Gibbons Amidst Vines is printed.