Lot 29 | 27 June 2021

 

LOT 29

CHEN WEN HSI

B. China, 1906 – 1991

Squirrel and Rambutan

Signed in Chinese character with seal of the artist on upper left

Chinese ink and watercolour on paper

33 x 44 cm

Provenance Private Collection, USA

RM 17,000 – RM 30,000

Born in China in 1906, Chen Wen Hsi is considered a pioneer in Singapore’s modern art scene. His landmark trip to Bali in 1952 with fellow pioneering artists Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, and Liu Kang would later act as a fuel for developing a form of artistic representation distinctive to Southeast Asia—the Nanyang Art Style. Known for his deep love and appreciation of wildlife, Chen excelled in drawing gibbons, birds, squirrels, and fish. He is said to have kept a ‘miniature zoo’ in his garden in order to closely observe the animals’ individual characteristics and movements. Each of the featured pieces by Chen conveys a sense of natural and harmonious balance.