Chen Shuren, Rep 4

New word in Chinese art

After the cultural revolution of the early 20th century, art has never been the same. Even traditional painting schools that have historically denied foreign influence and favored old, reliable ways over creative experiments couldn’t remain aside. Pioneered by European artists, new styles and techniques made their way across the entire continent and eventually reached a country that desperately required an injection of fresh ideas - China. One of the people that made a particularly significant contribution to the promotion of modern art and abstract paintings in China is Chen Shuren. Being a member of the Lingnan School of Art, he was highly deemed for his use of untypically bold colors, free forms and Western perspective. These peculiarities of Shuren’s paintings can be traced in this magnificent spring landscape.

Soaring like a bird

Using various expressive means and skillfully combining the artistic heritage of his own nation with innovative approaches borrowed from his overseas colleagues, Chen Shuren created a vivid and inspiring picture:

-    The work depicts a group of trees covered in budding leaves and early blossoms. The bright red and orange hues of the flowers produce a powerful visual and emotional effect - it’s like a concentrated image of spring, beautiful and full of life.

-    The scene is shown from below, as if we were standing under the trees with our head thrown back and looking up at their tops. That makes them seem even higher than they are creating a sense of distance and depth.

-    Branches are flowers are arranged in a manner that resembles a circle. Combined with a perspective used by the artist, it gives an impression of movement. If you look at the picture long enough, you may even notice that your head starts spinning a little. A bird flying past one of the trees in the background enhances that illusion and ties the entire image together.

-    Note that the painter uses tonal variations and blurred outlines to define which elements are closer to use and which are positioned at a distance. This is uncharacteristic of traditional Chinese painting that tends to use flat shapes and monocolors.

The passionate and romantic landscape by Chen Shuren will make a fine addition to a modern interior. Our premium-quality oil reproduction is performed in close resemblance with the original and will definitely look gorgeous on your wall!