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 gibbons and animals developed from the Lingnan style. 'Boy on Beach' depicts a Malay boy in a sarong, standing on a beach with boats and coconut trees in the background. It is interesting that the closeness of the boy to the picture plane adopts a Western linear perspective, whilst the long rectangular format extends the horizon from the left to right is more characteristic of Chinese handscrolls. Executed with concise ink-brush outlines and freely applied washes of light colour, the painting appears to be study, and possibly done on-site, an indication of Chen’s interest in painting from life.
