Chen Yifei was a realist oil painter who lived from 1946 to 2005. He is famous for his timeless depictions of Suzhou, in Jiangsu province, as well as Chinese women in antique costumes. Chen studied art in high school, and in his late teenage years, began catching the attention of Chinese officials for his propaganda work which often glorified soldiers of the Communist party or portrayed grand images of Mao Zedong. He was soon considered a leading artist at the state-financed Shanghai Institute of Painting and was one of the first artists from the People’s Republic of China to be granted permission to study art in the United States. He had success with his exhibitions in the United States, notably with his solo exhibition at Hammer Galleries in 1983 triggering a sensation in the art-world of New York. Most people believed that his work neither fit into the mold of Chinese nor Western art, but was more multicultural, with a blend of romantic realism and impressionism. Critics often said that, whatever the style or theme of his art, the common link between all of his work is a commitment to beauty (Song 2013). In the early 1990s, Chen began to expand his artistic range to include film and fashion. He directed a movie and two artistic documentaries depicting the experiences of Jews who came to Shanghai during World War II. He also created a fashion brand called Layefe, selling high-end clothing and home furnishings. Chen passed away in 2005 while working on his film, ‘Barber’ (Song 2013). Some critics say that he turned increasingly commercial toward the end of his life, and was denounced for capitalistic behavior at points.
Figure 1. Chen Yifei. Five young women playing flutes. Oil on canvas. “Chen Yifei.” Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Porcelain | China Online Museum. Accessed January 20, 2019. http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-chen-yifei.php.
“Chen Yifei.” Qing Dynasty Ceramics, Porcelain | China Online Museum. Accessed January 20, 2019. http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-chen-yifei.php.
“Chen Yifei.” Wikipedia. November 15, 2018. Accessed January 20, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Yifei.
“Chen Yifei (陈逸飞).” Razor Tie Artery Foundation Announce New Joint Venture Recordings | Razor & Tie. March 17, 2012. Accessed January 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20120317144455/http://shanghai.cultural-china.com/html/History-of-Shanghai/History/Historical-Figures/200810/31-952.html.
Song, Yuwu. “Chen, Yifei (1946-2005).” In Biographical Dictionary of the People’s Republic of China, by Yuwu Song. McFarland, 2013. http://libproxy.union.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/mcfpeoples/chen_yifei_1946_2005/0?institutionId=5120
