People say that he wouldn't have died if he was not working that hard. I understand, he couldn't stop because he has such a great dream to fulfill. So sad that we lost a highly devoted artist. So sad that most of the public won't cherish his somehow childish dreams. But as an artist, he died in such a beautiful way that long before his senescence and the fulfillment or collapsing of his dreams. Won't it be the best way for him to leave?
Mr Chen Yifei, a Chinese painter, died on last Sunday. Browsed the web, news and comments on his death flooded in to eyes. His death followed a stomach hemorrhage while working on a film "Barber". Sadly, I noticed that most of the condolence news were published under entertainment category. The public heard most of him as a style entrepreneur after his success in fashion, film and mass-media. I would still like him to be called painter, not for his god-jealoused painting gift, but his cutting-edge role in introducing the contemporary Chinese paintings to the western society.
He was born in a southern costal town, Zhenhai and moved to Shanghai at his childhood, which reward him an cultural base for his known Shanghai-theme works afterwards. He was first educated under the Rusian Realism methodology, his early works always back grounded in revolutionary scene. Seizing of the Presidential Palace, his early-day noted work, reflects his qualified skills and outstanding concept at that time.
Soon after the end of Cultural Revolution, he went to Hunter College for further education. His painting was turned to more Western styled portraits of beautiful white women and men, such as the western musician set. He was quickly accepted by local art community, and his painting "two Bridges" was perchased by Armand Hammer, the oil magnate as a gift to Mr Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader. he spent his next ten years in New York and "amassed a fortune selling his work".
"My dream was to bring aesthetics to Chinese society." He came back to China at 1990 with this ambitious dream. Almost meanwhile, his most famous work featured with traditional Chinese women in colorful dress was sold at the highest auction price for a contemporary Chinese painter in Hongkong. Works like Poppy and Lingering Melodies from the Chunyang River has gained him notority for the impressionistic scenery and realistic perfectness. He seemed struggled to break the perfectness label, for his later works tended to utilise rough lines and big colourblocks. Moreover, He started to paint the portrait in a twist angle like a reflection in a distorted mirror, e.g. Girl in Blue and Listening to Bird's Song.
Despite his attempt in painting, he also expand his footprints to a wider range of wowed Big Vision industry. He successful transformed himself into a Vision entrepreneur, range from fashion design,home furnishing, film producing, model agencing, and publishing.
People say that he wouldn't die if he was not hard working. I understand, he couldn't stand lazy because he has such a great dream to fulfill. So sorry that we lost a highly devoted artist. So sorry that most of the public won't cherish his somehow childish dreams. But as an artist, he died in such a beautiful way that long before his senescence and the fulfillment or collapsing of his dreams. Isn't it the best way for him to leave?