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Lot Essay
Amidst the flourishing arts scene of the early 50s and 60s in Singapore, and the establishment of a "Nanyang" style of art, the oil paintings of Chen Wen Hsi stand out as some of the most innovative works produced during this period in Southeast Asian art history. While his use of semi-abstraction and cubism to rethink themes of nature and existence were in seeming opposition to his early training in traditional Chinese ink painting, Chen's unyielding spirit of innovation and desire to express the essence of life through art is one that endures across the mediums and stylistic shifts within his body of work. His indisputable mastery of painting techniques allowed him the freedom to navigate disparate artistic means of expression with great agility.
Before his arrival in Southeast Asia, Chen studied at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts as well as the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1920s. It was during this time that Chen honed his skills in Chinese ink and brush techniques, and became acquainted with the painter Pan Tianshou who came to greatly influence Chen's artistic worldview and philosophy. Pan championed the integrity of traditional Chinese ink aesthetics, and it was Pan who first exposed Chen to the art of finger painting - a style for which Chen is today most widely known for. However Pan was against the assimilation of Eastern and Western art forms, and it was here that Chen differed from his mentor. Chen did not find his deep respect for traditional mediums and styles to be incongruous with his desire to formulate his own distinct artistic identity, and his foray into oil painting is a mark of his boldness as an artist. Despite having been exposed to Western theories of painting during his education in China, it was only after coming to Singapore in 1946 that Chen began to experiment freely in his art.
Part of the pioneering generation of artists in Singapore who were also involved in teaching at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA), Chen was a key figure in developing the distinct "Nanyang" school of art. This initially emerged through an application of traditional Chinese styles and mediums to depict the essence of Southeast Asian life and culture. Working alongside contemporaries that included friend and colleague Cheong Soo Pieng, this "Nanyang" identity soon came to encompass the seamless blending of artistic styles - regardless of whether they were Eastern or Western. Catching up to the wave of modernism that ad moved across Europe, and being faced with creating a new artistic legacy where none significant had come before, Chen's works during the 1960s and 70s are marked by a remarkable departure from his ink works towards abstraction and cubism. Houses Along The Boat Quay is a work that captures the vibrancy and spirit of the artistic climate at the time, and reimagines an iconic scene in a totally original fashion.
A city of entrept trade, much of life in Singapore centered around the iconic Singapore river. Singapore's unique urban landscape which followed the meandering of the river captured the imagination of many artists, and many, including artists such as Liu Kang, sought to capture the country's life source through their art. In his early efforts to consolidate his skills in Western painting techniques, Chen too attempted realist depictions of the Singapore river. His eventual turn towards the semi-abstract style seen is Houses Along The Boat Quay is indicative not only of his confidence in the medium by this time, but also his assimilation into Singapore. Marking a shift towards expressionism and abstraction, Chen set out to capture the character of Singapore's boat quay in the early 60s.
The shophouses which were situated along the riverside were a place of bustling activity for workers and merchants alike, and have endured as a symbol of their time. By reducing the shophouses to the key features of their construction lines and an expert mixing of colours, Chen effectively blurs the structural distinction between the houses, the quayside, the river, and the surrounding landscape. The result is a composition which is full and commanding - suggesting a lively chaos congruent with the scene. The simplified lines of the shophouses also recall the silhouette of kelongs (traditional fishing villages) that were at the time still popular around more rural parts of Southeast Asia. Bringing together forms both old and new would later come to be trademarks of Chen's artistic talent when he returned to working in ink and paper - painting traditional subjects of animals and landscapes, but experimenting with shapes, line, form, and colour.
Houses Along the Boat Quay is a work that is significant for both its rarity and quality. Representative of a period in Chen's life where he boldly experimented in a medium which he had previously shown little affinity for, but yet produced works that were astounding in their expression.
Before his arrival in Southeast Asia, Chen studied at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts as well as the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1920s. It was during this time that Chen honed his skills in Chinese ink and brush techniques, and became acquainted with the painter Pan Tianshou who came to greatly influence Chen's artistic worldview and philosophy. Pan championed the integrity of traditional Chinese ink aesthetics, and it was Pan who first exposed Chen to the art of finger painting - a style for which Chen is today most widely known for. However Pan was against the assimilation of Eastern and Western art forms, and it was here that Chen differed from his mentor. Chen did not find his deep respect for traditional mediums and styles to be incongruous with his desire to formulate his own distinct artistic identity, and his foray into oil painting is a mark of his boldness as an artist. Despite having been exposed to Western theories of painting during his education in China, it was only after coming to Singapore in 1946 that Chen began to experiment freely in his art.
Part of the pioneering generation of artists in Singapore who were also involved in teaching at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA), Chen was a key figure in developing the distinct "Nanyang" school of art. This initially emerged through an application of traditional Chinese styles and mediums to depict the essence of Southeast Asian life and culture. Working alongside contemporaries that included friend and colleague Cheong Soo Pieng, this "Nanyang" identity soon came to encompass the seamless blending of artistic styles - regardless of whether they were Eastern or Western. Catching up to the wave of modernism that ad moved across Europe, and being faced with creating a new artistic legacy where none significant had come before, Chen's works during the 1960s and 70s are marked by a remarkable departure from his ink works towards abstraction and cubism. Houses Along The Boat Quay is a work that captures the vibrancy and spirit of the artistic climate at the time, and reimagines an iconic scene in a totally original fashion.
A city of entrept trade, much of life in Singapore centered around the iconic Singapore river. Singapore's unique urban landscape which followed the meandering of the river captured the imagination of many artists, and many, including artists such as Liu Kang, sought to capture the country's life source through their art. In his early efforts to consolidate his skills in Western painting techniques, Chen too attempted realist depictions of the Singapore river. His eventual turn towards the semi-abstract style seen is Houses Along The Boat Quay is indicative not only of his confidence in the medium by this time, but also his assimilation into Singapore. Marking a shift towards expressionism and abstraction, Chen set out to capture the character of Singapore's boat quay in the early 60s.
The shophouses which were situated along the riverside were a place of bustling activity for workers and merchants alike, and have endured as a symbol of their time. By reducing the shophouses to the key features of their construction lines and an expert mixing of colours, Chen effectively blurs the structural distinction between the houses, the quayside, the river, and the surrounding landscape. The result is a composition which is full and commanding - suggesting a lively chaos congruent with the scene. The simplified lines of the shophouses also recall the silhouette of kelongs (traditional fishing villages) that were at the time still popular around more rural parts of Southeast Asia. Bringing together forms both old and new would later come to be trademarks of Chen's artistic talent when he returned to working in ink and paper - painting traditional subjects of animals and landscapes, but experimenting with shapes, line, form, and colour.
Houses Along the Boat Quay is a work that is significant for both its rarity and quality. Representative of a period in Chen's life where he boldly experimented in a medium which he had previously shown little affinity for, but yet produced works that were astounding in their expression.