Chen Tian-Xiang Painting Background
Chen Tian-Xiang can be related to modern Chinese painters as his works have become more popular and recognizable in last years. The painter’s style is difficult to be characterized by one genre, because his works could be found among those of contemporary Chinese art as well as traditional pattern and animal painting. In 2011 Chen Tian-Xiang opened his own exhibition, where all his artworks represented contemporary abstract painting created with oil canvas and paper. His abstract painting explicitly represents the very unique combination of several oil painting techniques such as linseed oil for drying oil painting to make the shapes more transparent and solvents for shapes to dry the way they were initially painted.
However, Chen became more outstanding for his horse painting works, which attracted more attention among different contingents of art fans and professionals. The works of horses refer two classic Chinese painting style, also known as Shui Mo. Chen has succeeded in establishment of his own unique style for painting animals, mythic creatures and nature. Now his works are highly valued by sino-foreign collectors and the orders for this style of works are keep rising.
Nowadays Chen is known for his high professionalism in watercolor painting of harmonized and artistic nature expression. Chen is also a member of Guilin Artists Association, established in his hometown.
Horse Painting in Traditional Chinese Style
As aforementioned in first paragraph, the horse painting of Chen Tian-Xiang represent classic Shuimo Chinese style with some additional mixed color technique like minimal pallet with basic glazing color application. It can be easily recognized from such painter’s works like colored and uncolored horse-race. Commonly, horse racing is associated with success and happiness as even the artwork of painter indicates from its heading. Translation of the Chinese heading on the pictures can be allegorized by the famous Chinese saying, which means “Horses arrival comes with great achievement/success”. Since several hounds of years ago horse racing became a deeply-crusted symbol of success and well-being. Basically, painter used Chinese rice paper for his horse and dragon painting artworks, which means that his strict adherence to traditional Shui Mo painting technique with mixed ink and water color application.
Unlike other Chinese Shui Mo interpreters, Tian-Xiang does not limits his style with clear edges of forms, but instead combines it more with freehand Chinese technique, which is known for its freedom in forms expression and abundance of supportive font elements.
Consequently, the combination of traditional techniques and painter’s self-perception of minimal color pallet has formed in a unique modern Chinese Shui Mo style, which stood Chen’s artworks out of other known modern painters such as Liu Dan or Zeng Xiaojun.
Critical review
Works Cited
