Chen Shizeng reads the drawing scroll

[Chen Shizeng Reading and Painting Axis]

Reading and Painting Axis, modern times, Chen Shizeng painting, paper version, color setting, vertical 87.7 cm, horizontal 46.6 cm
Self title: “On December 1st of Dingsi, Ye Yufu, Jin Gongbei, and Chen Zhongshu gathered the property of collectors in the capital and exhibited it in Central Park for seven days. They exchanged a total of 600 or 700 varieties every day, collecting visitors’ fees to revive the floods in the capital, and capturing the scenery at the time to record the great event.”
The “Dingsi” in the self title refers to the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917)
The creation of this image is based on real historical events. In 1917, a flood occurred in China, and a group of renowned figures from the cultural and artistic circles in Beijing launched a charity event, holding an exhibition in Central Park, now known as Zhongshan Park in Beijing, to raise funds for disaster relief. The exhibition has a collection of 6700 works, with a considerable scale. The three people mentioned in the title were all leaders in the literary and artistic circles in Beijing at that time
The painter came to the scene and truthfully recorded the exhibition scene he saw from the first visual angle, which was authentic and vivid, with a realism similar to that of news photos. On the screen, people from all walks of life gather together in a warm atmosphere, ranging from young and old Chinese in long robes and mandarin coats, to Westerners in suits and shoes, blond hair and blue eyes, and to fashionable women in dresses. The crowd is arranged in an orderly manner, forming a certain spatial hierarchy. The facial strokes of the characters in the painting are simple and casual, with some comic color. The author omitted the lines and directly used large blocks of ink to shape the figure’s body. The short and delicate lines were only partially sketched, and in addition, the bright part of the light receiving surface of the object image was represented using a technique close to “flying white”. This omission of lines and the feeling and expression of light are greatly different from traditional Chinese painting techniques, which can be seen from Chen Shizeng’s attainments in Western painting
“Reading Paintings” interprets the work with traditional propositions, fresh content, and a combination of Chinese and Western techniques, reflecting Chen Shizeng’s creative painting practice and exploration.