Chen Qi (artist)


Chen Qi is a modern artist and co-founder of the Amphibism Art movement in early 1990s. Chen was born in Shenyang, China, in the midst of Great Leap Forward. After 1989, he moved to Singapore, and in 2015 he moved to California. Chen is best known for his figurative oil and ink paintings, which fuse Western and Eastern painting techniques into a whole new genre.

Biography

In 1989, Chen and several Chinese artists, including Jin Shangyi and Wu Guanzhong, participated in the "Oil Paintings of Modern Day China" exhibition at the International Trade Centre in Singapore. Chen's nude painting was hailed by art critic Tan Tee Chie as "one of those with highest art value". In 1990, Chen held his first solo exhibition in Singapore with sponsorship the Hongxiang Art Centre of Singapore and the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

Style and technique

Chen's artistic style, which he terms as Amphibism, focuses on innovations in the use of light and color. His artistic ideas were inspired by Diego Velázquez, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt. In terms of his use of light, reflection, and limited space, Chen draws on 19th century painters such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cézanne, as well as upon the techniques of Georges Rouault and Balthus. He has credited German Expressionism for his use of color to express thoughts and emotions.

Selected works and exhibitions