1950s OIL PAINTING - Portrait, Four Chinese Scholars

Thank you GiGi for your comments.

Since I made the last posting - about a year ago - I have done some research and have resolved that the signature is definitely W H Chen and I have no doubt that it is a work by Chen Wen Hsi. 

Chen had an exhibition in Hong Kong in 1949 and whilst living later in Singapore he travelled extensively in South-East Asia during the 1950s.

Beside the dates, and signature, the style is in keeping with the Western-style he was experimenting with at that time. It is very similar to his portrait of a mother in a green dress holding a child in red clothing. This smaller work was done in 1937, on canvas, and sold in 2008 as "Moeder enkind" - auction estimate was about 6000 euro.  

My painting of the Four Scholars I believe is a link in his progression towards the looser and more abstracted Western-style works in oil that followed eg: the "Village" and "Work Shop".   

Suziepie

Hello Chenwenhsi !  

Thanks for contacting me.  

Having done considerable research on this I have no doubt that the painting I have is a Chen Wen Hsi early oil in the European style painted probably in Hong Kong in c1940s.

In order to locate, and hopefully see, some record of Chen's similar works of this type and/or period I visited the main office of Christie's in Singapore on 2 August 2013. 

Unfortunattely it was a total waste of time. I met with their ''South Asian Art Specialist' - a (too) young man who was narrowly focused only on Chen's ink and watercolour paintings of gibbons. He was very lacking in general art knowledge and had absolutely no idea of Chen's earlier works or any knowledge of how to 'read' a painting ie: style, age, media etc. 

I can't recall if I have mentioned previously but I am a qualified professional artist myself - having done many works of note and tutored adult classes in various medias over many years. I was also a picture framer for 20 years and so have had a lot of experience in the fine arts and can confidently say this young 'specialist' at Singapore Christies did not know what he was talking about.   

I had hoped to meet with someone a lot older and more knowledgeable about the arts in general and particularly as he was introduced as a specialist of Chen's he was exceedingly lacking.

Prior to that I had contacted Christies main office and though they said sevreral times they would get back to me, they didn't. Which was why I made a point of visiting their office in Singapore when I stopped over there in 2013. But - no luck.. Very exasperating.

I do believe that these early European style oils are very important for a full and comprehensive profile of Chen Wen Hsi - he was not only a painter of gibbons! he had a lot more to offer than that.  Oh yes - there are the 'Picasso-iinfluenced works and other abstracts that Chen dabbled with, some obviously nothing more than experimentation, but what is extensively missing is the period leading up to his Singaporean years. In this the vision and expertise of the Singaporean 'Chen' experts need a good shake-up.

The portrait of the Chinese boy scholars that I have is absolutely unique - it captures not only a delightful scholastic moment, recording the intense individual expressions of each boy, but also records an age where such clothing was worn and the importance of scholastic achievement amongst the Chinese. The brush strokes, the colours, the composition are all very significant of Chen's skill as an artist. As said, it is similar in style and brushwork to 'Moeder Enkind.' 

I would like to see a photo of the painting you possess - if you wish to email it to me privately David could oblige with my email address. Sorry I cannot offer more help. Though I do believe sooner or later these earlier works will surface to their rightful place.

Kind regards,

Suziepie

Hello CWN

Thank you for all the details of your painting - I see the signature is almost identical to the one on my painting of the Four Chinese Scholars - and to tell you 'it is not his style of painting' is very naive on their part. 

Chen had several 'styles'.: his traditional Chinese style as depicted in his gibbon, fish and bird ink-paintings and water colours of these subjects - then there was his Picasso-influenced works, his other western-influenced abstractions (some of which were obviously just experimentations), then his impressionistic western water-colours and oils - and as we have seen, his earlier works in traditional western style oils, beautifully executed - which ironically show more than any other 'style' the true extent of his skill - because one has to be accomplished enough in the basics to have the ability and confidence to be successful at abstractions and more impressionistic works - including gibbons!. 

I agree with you that perhaps petty nationalism is behind the lack of enthusiasm in Singapore to recognize Chen's earlier Chinese-based works. If that is the case, then shame on them.

I look forward to hearing about anything further you may uncover.

Kind regards,

Suziepie

Hello Stephen

Thank you for your email and comments. It is interesting to hear about Wa Hso Chan. I had not known about him.

However I should say firstly, that subsequent research I have done since writing the initial post on Gwulo some time ago has left me in no doubt that this painting, ‘The Four Scholars’, was done by Chen Wen Hsi. 

Though there are similarities in the signatures, of Wahso Chan and Chen Wen Hsi, (principally the initials and name itself), there is a significant difference that discounts it being Wahso’s signature on the ‘Scholars’. There are also substantial differences in the application of paint in the painting of ‘Scholars' by Chen and some 6-7 portraits I have recently found that were done by Wahso Chan.

AND though Chen signed most of his Singapore ‘Western-style’ works with his full name printed in capitals, that was not always so. There is a well-known Chen impressionist painting ‘Village’ which depicts a shack on a jetty by a river in tropical bush.  Though signed using his full name (which he adopted when he moved to Singapore), it uses lower case letters - not all capitals - and the ‘chen’  is very similar to that in ‘The Four Scholars’.  

These differences and various other factors, such as – the timing of the execution of the painting (some ten years after the death of Wahso Chan), the timing of the acquisition of the painting in HK post-WWII, the country of origin of the work being HK, and the personal circumstances regarding the acquisition of the ‘The Four Scholars’ by my Uncle, who was Superintendent Duncan MacPherson, in the HK Police at the time – are all significant enough to discount the artist of ‘The Four Scholars’ being Wahso Chan, and to substantiate the artist as being Chen Wen Hsi..

Nonetheless the information you have provided is very interesting and thank you for your contribution.

Kind regards,

Suziepie

Hello Stephen

You mention in your posting of 20 December that:

..'Chen Wen Hsi (1906 - 1991) is a completely different artist - when signing his earlier works they were signed "W H CHAN" but in full capitals. '