Landscape Fan Painting "Village Trees and Returning Sails"
Dimensions: 55.5 × 25.5 cm
Artist: Chen Shizeng (China, 1876 – 1923)
Inscription: "Respectfully for Brother Zhimo – Hengke"
Also known as Hengke, Chen Shizeng was the eldest son of poet Chen Sanli and elder brother of historian Chen Yinke, and the grandson of Hunan governor Chen Baozhen. After studying natural sciences in Japan, he became a key figure in early 20th-century Chinese art education, serving as an editor in the Ministry of Education and later as professor at several Beijing universities.
An influential advocate of literati painting during the "Art Revolution," Chen excelled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. His landscapes, rooted in tradition yet drawn from nature, are noted for their bold, vigorous brushwork, while his figure and genre scenes reveal lively observation and expressive spirit.
This fan painting, inscribed to the celebrated poet Xu Zhimo, exemplifies Chen's dynamic brush style and his commitment to preserving the scholarly ideals of Chinese painting.
