Chrysanthemum/Calligraphy

Born in Guangxi in 1918, Chen Jupu spent time in Hong Kong and Taiwan as a scholar, poet, calligrapher, and painter. Accomplished in many scripts, Chen was a student of Wang Shizhao (1905-1984) and his works were honoured at the Exhibition of Hong Kong Contemporary Art at the City Museum and Art Gallery as well as the National Fine Art Exhibition at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Chen also presided over the Chinese Calligraphy Society in Hong Kong and was close with many artists, including Tao Yun (1911-2004), Situ Qi (1904-1997), and Su Shijie (1883-1975), among others. For his efforts in coordinating international exchanges and cultural events, as well as promoting calligraphy, Chen was awarded the Calligraphy and Arts Medal by the Taiwan Ministry of Education.

A native of Kaiping, Guangdong, Situ Qi, styled as Cang Cheng, was a painter and philanthropist. He began his artistic training at the China University of Art, specializing in Western painting, and later joined the Spring Awakening Art Academy founded by Gao Jianfu (1879-1951), pioneer of the Lingnan School. While studying Chinese painting under Gao, Situ, along with Guan Shanyue (1912-2000) and Li Xiongcai (1910-2001), were collectively known as the ‘Three Friends of Spring Awakening’. Favouring a vivid colour palette and generous touches of ink, Situ presented visually rich and compelling paintings. Moreover, as he comprehensively depicted natural lighting with an array of firm and soft lines compounded with the blending of light and heavy touches, the liveliness of flowers and leaves became more prominent and memorable. With works collected by the United Nations Fine Arts Department, Situ Qi’s artistic achievements are celebrated internationally.