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Masters of inspirational contemporary oils
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A large exhibition of the works of two major contemporary oil painters — Chen Yifei (1946-2005) and Xia Baoyuan (1946-) — is underway at the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute.
The exhibition “Generation to Generation” also includes photographs and other objects related to their lives.
Decades ago Chen and Xia used to be the two big stars in Shanghai’s art community and were often compared. Both were masters of contemporary oil painting and painted in Socialist Realism style, which they took to a higher level; both went abroad in the 1980s and returned to China.
The lives of both men mirrored the vicissitudes of Chinese history.
Of the two, Chen was the more famous.
He was art director and filmmaker who built a business empire that included magazines, fashion, home furnishings, hotel decoration, film production and a modeling agency.
He led the way in contemporary aesthetics. He died of an ailment when he was 59.
He was a favored artist during the “cultural revolution” (1966-76) and was famous for the realistic and romantic depiction of grand events in modern Chinese history. His works are considered masterpieces.
He is also well known for his realistic paintings of pensive and melancholy women, wearing traditional dress in dark, rich, atmospheric settings.
He also painted movingly realistic, but not sentimental, canvases of China’s Tibetan and other ethnic minorities.
Pessimistic art
Xia was once a national idol in the arts community, but that was before he left for the United States in 1988, returning only in 2005, the year of Chen’s death. By then, he had been forgotten. Chen went to New York in 1980 and returned to China in 1990 after establishing himself and holding exhibitions in the US.
Shanghai-born Xia was called the “poet painter” and known for the nobility and depth of his works. In the 1960s, he was harshly criticized for the political paintings he was assigned during the “cultural revolution.” Unlike Chen, whose works were uplifting, Xia’s paintings of workers, peasants and soldiers were said to be too pessimistic and sad.
“Today Chen is almost a legend. The course of his life and art reflect the vicissitudes of modern Chinese history,” says Fu Jun, the vice director of the Shanghai Painting and Sculpture Institute Art Museum.
The exhibition mainly focuses on Chen’s art between 1960 and 1980, when he perfected his skill and technique and established his own “art language.”
Born in Zhejiang Province in 1946, Chen studied painting, including socialist realism, at the Shanghai Art Academy and worked at the oil painting and sculpture institute. He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 70s for a series of oil paintings depicting heroic historical events.
“At that time, the artists at our institute were often assigned ‘political tasks’ and Chen was no exception,” says Fu. “Even though he was painting political work, his talent as an artist is evident from works at the exhibition.”
For example, the work titled “Conquering the Presidential Palace” created in 1976 depicts the victory of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Considered a masterpiece, it vividly captures the moment of glory in a tableau with similarities to Western composition.
No pain, no gain
“Chen’s public image was very chic and tasteful. He was rich in his business empire and famous for highly acclaimed canvases,” Fu says. “But no pain, no gain. The exhibition reveals how an unknown but talented and diligent young man was transformed into an unforgettable star.”
The exhibit showcases Chen’s exercise works in water-color, sketches in his early years and even his notes describing his ambition to become a great artist.
“I suggest that art students and people interested in art visit the exhibition. Such passion and diligence in art are rarely seen today,” Fu says. “Everyone at the academy wants to be a big painter but they only see the surface aura. This exhibit shows how many roads a painter has to trudge to reach the top.”
Date: Through September 12, 10am-4pm (closed Mondays)
Address: 1/F, SPSI Art Museum, 111 Jinzhu Rd
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