Born in China, Chen Wen Hsi settled in Singapore in 1949 and taught at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in the 1950s. Chen was instrumental in the development of the Nanyang Style and is recognised as one of the pioneer artists of Singapore, together with Chen Chong Swee, Georgette Chen, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang. Highly influential, Chen Wen Hsi is regarded as the doyen of Singapore Chinese-brush artists. Although he painted mainly in Chinese brush, he often ventured into a cubistic style, executed in either oil or ink. An ardent student of nature, Chen is best known for his paintings of animals developed from the Lingnan style. Egrets remain as one of Chen’s favourite subjects, alongside with gibbons and herons. Not only proficient in oil painting and Chinese brush, Chen also mastered the technique of finger painting. Although undated, it is likely that “Black Egrets” is painted in the 1980s using finger painting, typical of his style for that period.
