Chen Baoyi

CHINA, Shanghai

Chen Baoyi whose ancestors were from Xinmen, Jiangmen, was born in Shanghai. Chen began painting in childhood, studying under Zhang Yuguang at an early age. He later went to Japan to study Western oil painting and followed the famous painter, Fujishima Takeji, in the Kawabata Academy. His painting is deeply influenced by impressionism and surrealism. After his return to China, Chen devoted himself to teaching art. Together with Cai Yuanpei and Ding Yanyong, they established the Chinese Art University in Shanghai. He also established the Eastern Art Group and the Dawn Club, and taught in several art schools in Shanghai.
Chen died in Shanghai at the age of 52. His oil paintings include Master Hongyi, which is kept at Yufo Temple in Shanghai, and Self-Portrait, kept at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing.