Elegant Chinese Beauties, After Chen Yifei (1946–2005)

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On offer is a recreation of a famed "Romantic Realism" composition by the renowned Chinese master Chen Yifei (1946–2005). The … Read more On offer is a recreation of a famed "Romantic Realism" composition by the renowned Chinese master Chen Yifei (1946–2005). The striking piece replicates one work in Chen Yifei's renowned 1990s series of classical Chinese beauties. He was famous for depicting melancholic, elegant women in traditional silk robes. This specific scene features three young musicians in exquisitely embroidered silk attire: one holding a pipa (lute), one playing a dizi (bamboo flute), and one holding a silk round fan.
Chen Yifei was one of the most commercially successful central figures in modern Chinese oil painting. Working in both Shanghai and New York, he excelled in fine arts, cinema and fashion. After graduating from Shanghai College of Art in 1965, he joined the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute and completed major propaganda commissions in Beijing.
In 1980, Chen moved to New York as one of the first PRC artists permitted to work in the U.S., supporting himself as an art restorer before gaining recognition with a sold-out solo show at Hammer Galleries. Returning to Shanghai in 1990, he established the Chen Yifei Art Studio, launched the luxury brand Layefe, ran one of Shanghai’s largest modeling agencies, advised on urban design projects, and directed films such as Evening Liaison and The Music Box.
Accordingly, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when commercial art studios commissioned skilled artists to paint high-quality oil replicas of famous Eastern masterworks for international distribution, his were among the inspirations. The signature on this piece reads "Vanessa" which indicates that this specific canvas is such a hand-painted copy of the original by Chen Yifei. His original works are signed explicitly with his own name (typically in Pinyin "Chen Yifei" or Chinese calligraphy).
Signature/Maker’s mark: Bottom right “Vanessa” (photo #7), likely a pseudonym of the actual painter. See less