CHEN WEN HSI | Seven Gibbons

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. All inconsistencies are inherent to the medium. Framed, under Plexiglas.
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"I began to paint more gibbons only after I arrived here (Singapore). In the past, I had never seen gibbons before. One day, I saw one in a shop that sold birds. It looked exactly like what Muxi of the Song Dynasty painted in his famous painting. I was so happy that I bought it immediately and reared it at home. Since then, I began to observe this gibbon, its hands, its face... I painted it part by part until I became familiar with the animal. Then I went on to make generalizations, to see how its image could be simplified."
-Chen Wen Hsi^{1 1} Transcript of Oral History Interview with Artist, Convergences: Chen Wen Hsi Centennial Exhibition, Vol II, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 2006, p. 75