076
b. China, 1906 - d. 1991
Chen Wen Hsi
Birds And Flowers
undated
Signed in Chinese ‘文希指墨’ (Wen Hsi finger ink painting) with seal (top left and lower right)
ink and colour on rice paper, mounted on scroll
46 x 30cm
Provenance
Private collection, Penang; acquired from The Art Gallery, Penang in 1990.
Estimate
RM 15,000 – 18,000
Price Realised
RM 13,200
This undated 花鸟(flower-and-bird) work was delicately done using fingers to portray a spontaneous feel. Sprays of plum blossoms dot the sparse branches with two chatty birds perched on the bottom right – a pictorial structure of harmony and simplicity. Though Wen Hsi was also adept at painting in the Western media, he is best known for his Chinese paintings of gibbons and egrets. He was influenced by the style of Wang Geyi (1897-1988), and was a protégé of Pan Tian-shou (1897-1971), an expert in finger-painting.
