Chen Shuren (; 1884–1948) was a Chinese painter. Born Chen Zhe (), he was renamed Chen Shao () and also known by the
art name
An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ''ho'' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by East Asian artists, poets and writers. The ...
s De'an Laoren (), Jiawai Yuzi (), and Ershan Shanqiao (), among others.
Born in Mingjing,
Panyu
Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 20 ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
in 1884, Chen studied under painter
Ju Lian.
In 1903, Chen and two brothers,
Gao Jianfu
Gao Jianfu (1879–1951; 高剑父, pronounced "Gou Gim Fu" in Cantonese) was a Cantonese artist during World War II. He is known for leading the Lingnan School's effort to modernize Chinese traditional painting as a "new national art."Minglu, Ga ...
and
Gao Qifeng, co-founded the ''Guangdong Daily''.
Together, the trio, known collectively by their surnames "Two Gous and one Chan" or as "The three greats of
Lingnan
Lingnan (; Vietnamese: Lĩnh Nam) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as modern nor ...
", became leaders of the
Lingnan school of painting, credited with popularizing the
nihonga
''Nihonga'' (, " Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...
art style in China.
Chen joined the
Tongmenghui
The Tongmenghui of China (or T'ung-meng Hui, variously translated as Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance, United Allegiance Society, ) was a secret society and underground resistance movement ...
upon its establishment in 1905. In 1906, he left to attend art school in Kyoto, returning to China in 1912 after accepting a teaching position in Guangdong. He went back to Japan in 1913, enrolling at
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.
Rikkyo is known as one of the six leading universities in the field of sports in Tokyo (東京六大学 "Big Six" — Rikkyo University, University of ...
. Upon completing his studies, Chen remained overseas, serving as secretary general of the Canadian branch of the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
. He became active in the Guangdong Kuomintang chapter in 1922, the same year he arrived in China. Chen became allied with
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei (4 May 1883 – 10 November 1944), born as Wang Zhaoming and widely known by his pen name Jingwei, was a Chinese politician. He was initially a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang, leading a government in Wuhan in oppositi ...
between 1928 and 1931. From 1932 to 1947, Chen led the
Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Khièu-vu Vî-yèn-fi'') is a cabinet-level council of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The council was founded in 1926 in Canton (Guangzhou) in Kwangtung (Gua ...
. He withdrew politically from Wang, who led a Japan-friendly
collaborationist government from 1940 to 1944.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Shuren
1884 births
1948 deaths
19th-century Chinese painters
20th-century Chinese painters
Painters from Guangdong
Chinese expatriates in Canada
Cantonese people
Lingnan school painters
Artists from Guangzhou
Rikkyo University alumni
People from Panyu District