Description/
Chen Cheng-po visited China for the first time in the summer of 1928. Hangzhou became his favorite place to sketch and he completed Boating on West Lake, Dongpu Bridge at West Lake and Ancient Houses in Hanzhou during this trip. In the last work, he captures the water-town sceneries of the Lower Yangtze region in a horizontally layered composition. The lotus leaves at the bottom and sandbank at the center define the boundaries of the foreground, with mountains reflecting in the expansive water in-between. Behind the sandbank, tour boats dress the middle ground and the meticulously drawn roof ridges and whitewashed walls accentuate the old houses. The hills and sky in the background are depicted using soft and gentle brushwork. The painter leverages Western painting techniques to portray West Lake's legendary sceneries in a departure from the mystic and hazy depictions typical in classical Chinese landscape painting.
Bibliography/
- Hanni Chiu, "Reappraising Chen Cheng-Po’s ‘Shanghai Period,’” in Journey through Jiangnan: A Pivotal Moment in Chen Cheng-Po's Artistic Quest ed. Yuchun Lin et al. ( Taipei City: Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2012), 32-49.
Ancient Houses in Hangzhou
1928.06
Materials & Techniques：Oil on canvas
Dimension：45x52 cm
Private Collection
Location:Yuewang Temple at West Lake (today's Yuewang Temple, now at West Lake, Qi Xia Ling, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China)
