Chen Wen Hsi (1906-1991)Herons

signed and stamped with artist's seal
ink and colour on paper

139 by 70 cm.
54 6/8 by 27 4/8 in.注脚Provenance
Private Singaporean collection

Exhibited
Singapore, Tanglin Shopping Centre, Beyond Colours Homecoming Tribute: Master Artist Chen Wen Hsi Ink Collection, 2016, unpaginated, illustrated in colour

Chen Wen Hsi (1906-1991) is an artist known for his avant-garde painting style. He was born in 1906 in Baigong, Guangdong province, and studied at the Xinhua College of Art in Shanghai. He left China in 1947 and arrived in Singapore in 1948, convinced to stay on by Liu Kang.
 
A leading member of the Nanyang School of artists, Chen challenges traditional ideas, processes, and forms while using their essence to remain firmly grounded but not limited by any canon.
 
In Herons we see the artist playing with light and form, space, and structure; his deftness with Chinese ink and spatial awareness balance Cubism with symbolism.
 
Especially impressive is the negative space left in reserve between washes of colour to bring forth pristine white herons.