LOT 39
CHEN WEN HSI
B. China, 1906 – 1991
Sparrows and Pine
Signed in Chinese character and stamped with seal of the artist on lower right
Ink on paper
65 x 67 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
RM 30,000 – RM 70,000
Contact with these small animals at an early age instilled in Chen Wen Hsi a great love for pets and animals, and this love has been brought forward in pieces such as this. Gracefully and thoughtfully painted, the ‘Sparrows and Pine’ illustrates a few sparrows perched on a branch of a pine tree. Chen painted both Western and Chinese paintings. To observe the characteristics and movements of the animals he painted, Chen bought and reared gibbons, fish, birds, squirrels, egrets and peacocks, and he was said to have a “miniature zoo” in his backyard.