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Lot Essay
This painting was commissioned in 1982 from Wang Yongchen when the owner met the artist at the Peennisula Hotel in Hong Kong. Wen Yongchen was so pleased with the result and he asked Zhao Shao’ang (1905-1998) and Feng Kanghou (1901-1983) to write inscriptions.
While his family was originally from Baihe Mountain, Guangdong province, Wen Yongchen was born in Hong Kong. Poverty forced him to drop out of school at the age of twelve and to seek employment. As such, he devoted himself to business as well as calligraphy. He developed his skills in calligraphy by copying masters’ works frequently. His calligraphy is characterized by an amalgamation of powerful and delicate brush strokes. Wen Yongchen became a well-known calligrapher when he was a young man, and exhibitions of his works were held in Shanghai. Shen Bao (Shun Pao or Shanghai News) called him “the child prodigy of Lingnan.”
While his family was originally from Baihe Mountain, Guangdong province, Wen Yongchen was born in Hong Kong. Poverty forced him to drop out of school at the age of twelve and to seek employment. As such, he devoted himself to business as well as calligraphy. He developed his skills in calligraphy by copying masters’ works frequently. His calligraphy is characterized by an amalgamation of powerful and delicate brush strokes. Wen Yongchen became a well-known calligrapher when he was a young man, and exhibitions of his works were held in Shanghai. Shen Bao (Shun Pao or Shanghai News) called him “the child prodigy of Lingnan.”