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Chen Wen Hsi did not have many works on pigeons despite a painting repertoire on animals that included gibbons, squirrels, egrets, cranes and paddy field birds, making this is a rare piece of work. Pigeons are gregarious birds, and here they are shown flocking close together and foraging for food at the same time. The pigeons are depicted in dense, thick tones of black, grey and white, suggesting a surfeit of food, and by extension, a place of plenty. What is more interesting perhaps is the various angles the birds are depicted in, which demonstrate the artist’s skill and patient study.

Wen Hsi received his education at Shanghai Academy and Xinhua Academy in China. Under the tuterage of Pan Tianshou, he had also mastered the art of finger painting. Adept at both Chinese and Western art, Wen Hsi’s mastery in depicting human figures was found in keen observation of nature and animals especially egrets and gibbons. In 1949, he arrived in Singapore and taught at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He received numerous awards including the Meritorious Service Star in 1964, Honourary Doctorate by National University of Singapore in 1975 and Golden Chapter by Taiwan National Museum in 1980. Between 1923 and 1992, he conducted more than 38 exhibitions in various countries such as Singapore, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.