The 18-year-old Ma Yili amazed everyone, all from his hands
painter Chen Yiming,
The actor of "Teacher Chen" in the TV series "Flowers",
He is also the most representative painter in the history of Chinese oil painting in the 20th century——
Chen Yifei's younger brother.
In the play, his unrequited love Ma Yili played Reiko,
Outside the play, he has known Ma Yili for nearly 30 years.
As an actor for the first time,
Chen Yiming met Wong Kar-wai, who is known for being "strict and harsh",
But on the set, his filming went very smoothly,
Received high recognition from the director.
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Chen Yiming plays the unrequited love Lingzi (played by Ma Yili) in "Flowers"
Teacher Chen
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Portrait of Ma Yili at the age of 18 in "Flowers" (left)
Detail of "June Love" (right)
Chen Yiming is a native of "old Shanghai",
He is also a famous oil painter with great achievements.
After the reform and opening up,
Together with his brother Chen Yifei, he was one of the first Chinese painters to go global.
His works have been exhibited at Lincoln Center and the New England Center for Modern Art
and other well-known art galleries and museums around the world.
The style of his works is realistic, and his brushstrokes are restrained and delicate.
Integrating Eastern culture with Western painting techniques,
Critic (Ron Pashano) said:
"He gives the people in the painting a deep emotional connotation,
portray the object to life".
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Left: Chen Yiming
Right: Yi Yi Art Partner & Yi Yi Painting Manager Wei Yanan
Early January,
Wei Yanan, an art partner and a painting manager
Coming to Chen Yiming's studio,
Meet this old painter who is still exploring himself.
Written by Han Jiaqi
Editor-in-charge: Chen Ziwen
Ichijo Gakuji
，
It will be broadcast live on January 20 at 19:30
booking
Chinese Masterpieces (Part I)
Channels
This live broadcast will be broadcast live tonight on one and one painting video accounts
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Stills from "Flowers".
Chen Yiming has an elegant and gentle personality, and every morning, he has to drive more than 40 minutes to his studio 10 kilometers away from his home, where he has been doing it for decades. He said: "I am a painter who comes to work, and I still have to focus on painting. ”
After painting realistic paintings for most of his life, Chen Yiming still explores new forms in painting. In recent years, he has launched the "Red Dust" and "Dreamland" series, with more free and rough brushstrokes, and has begun to embrace abstract elements, and he always says that he should learn from young people, "don't stay in one place forever".
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Venice in the Rain 2012 (left),
Ya'an Realistic Character Portrait 2016 (right)
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Winter Will Pass, Mixed Media on Paper, 2021
Talking about Wong Kar-wai's experience of asking him to make a cameo appearance in "Flowers", Chen Yiming said with a smile: "When their crew called me, I really didn't believe my ears", "How could Wong Kar-wai make a TV series?", "But it sounded more sincere, so I agreed".
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Chen Yiming (right) and his brother Chen Yifei (left)
Chen Yiming was born in Shanghai in 1951 to a family of intellectuals. The era in which he grew up is also the era when Po, the protagonist of the novel "Flowers", grew up. Since childhood, Chen Yiming has been close to his brother Chen Yifei, at a time when urban families had limited housing conditions, with only two rooms and three generations of residents.
Chen Yiming's home is at the intersection of Sichuan Road and Beijing Road, very close to Zhapu Road, which is where Lu Meilin, the proprietress of the "Flowers" restaurant, made her career. Chen Yiming said that Zhapu Road was the first "out of the circle" food street in Shanghai after the reform and opening up, and then developed into the area of Huanghe Road and International Hotel.
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The Bund in Shanghai
When he was a student, there were all kinds of foreign buildings near Chen Yiming's home, which were brilliant and magnificent. He and his friends watched foreigners play tennis through the fence outside the wall of the British Consulate General in Shanghai on Yuanmingyuan Road.
After middle school, Chen Yiming began his own painting practice.
At the end of the 60s, Chen Yiming went to work on the farm in Chongming, but insisted on painting. In 1974, he was transferred to work in the Shanghai Yangtze River Shipping Administration, and went to work as an electric welder in the shipyard.
During this period, Chen Yiming studied at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and the Oil Painting Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy, and served as an art teacher at Shanghai Light Industry College.
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In 1987, Chen Yiming held his first exhibition in the United States (Chen Yifei on the right)
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High Noon, oil on canvas, 2011
In 1981, Chen Yiming went to the United States to study under the sponsorship of his brother. At that time, my brother was already an internationally renowned oil painter. In 1987, Chen Yiming held his first exhibition at the Findlay Gallery in New York, and his 40 paintings "Hui'an" series caused a sensation in the New York art circle, and also introduced the world to this face from China.
In 1990, he and his brother Chen Yifei held an exhibition of their brothers' paintings at the Hammer Gallery, which became a good story in the art world. Since then, Chen Yiming has become the representative painter of the Hammer Gallery.
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In 1999, Dr. Kissinger attended the opening ceremony of Chen Yiming's solo exhibition at the Hammer Gallery
It was not until 2002 that Chen Yiming returned to Shanghai for development. During the day, Chen Yiming helps his brother take care of the daily affairs of the company, and at night, he goes to his studio to concentrate on painting.
In 2005, Chen Yifei died of illness. Previously, he had been busy filming the film "The Barber" on the set. Nearly 20 years have passed, Chen Yiming still often misses his brother, he wrote the book "Young Chen Yifei", held the "Young Chen Yifei Memorial Exhibition" and other activities to commemorate his brother, which has received huge repercussions from all walks of life.
Wei: What have you been up to lately?
Chen: I've been working on the "Dust" series lately, and I'm going to be a little bit bigger. I think everyone is rushing through the world, like a speck of dust floating in the air.
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Chen Yiming creates the "Dust" series in his studio
Wei: You went to shoot "Flowers", what kind of chance did you have?
Chen: This happened by accident. One day, their crew called and said, Mr. Chen, director Wong Kar-wai invited you to play the role of a painter, and I didn't believe my ears at that time.
Director Wong Kar-wai once came to my lounge on the set to see me, and I told him that I knew Ma Yili very well and had known each other for 20 or 30 years. I have also painted a series of portraits of Ma Yili. Director Wang said, "Yes?" If you still have it with you, can you borrow it? So the portrait of Ma Yili when she was 18 years old in the play is one of them.
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Chen Yiming and Wei Yanan, the manager of a painting, in the studio
Wei: Can you talk about the portrait of Ma Yili in the play?
Chen: At that time, Ma Yili had just entered the drama academy, and she was very innocent, a little green, with two braids. The old Shanghai is called "Xiaojia Jasper".
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A portrait of Ma Yili when she was 18 years old in "Flowers".
I think this story is very dramatic. I have known Ma Yili for so long, and then a few years later, we met again in a crew and asked me to play the role of an unrequited love for her, which is quite funny.
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Chen Yiming's improvisation in "Flowers".
Wei: I think you're pretty good, and you're very jealous.
Chen: Finally, there is an expression when I look at him (Hu Ge) running up the stairs, and Director Wang thinks I have a very good grasp of it.
Wei: How did director Wong Kar-wai direct your filming?
Chen: I did it twice, and it went relatively well. Every time I go to give you a piece of paper, I write the general meaning of the scene, simple lines, and a very concise storyline. You can play the rest on your own.
But Director Wang still controls it very strictly at key nodes, and I think Director Wang's real script is in his heart.
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Chen Yifei's work "Focus" in "Flowers"
Wei: In 2017, the auction price of "Spring Warmth in Yutang" was nearly 150 million yuan, and the auction estimates of the other two works were also 6.5 million yuan and 4.5 million yuan. In "Flowers", there are also a few works by your brother Chen Yifei, are they originals?
Chen: Yes, these two works continue the style of Chen Yifei's usual paintings of ladies. Chen Yifei's strength is to portray the demeanor of the characters. They are wearing costumes from the late Qing Dynasty, and you can see similar costumes and similar props in many of Chen Yifei's paintings.
He has a modeling agency, and many models are actually selected from the modeling agency, so the characters are relatively tall, with long hands and feet, and he does not pursue the small and delicate Chinese women.
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Chen Yifei's "Caged Woman 5" in "Flowers"
Wei: Did you and your brother live together since you were children?
Chen: Yes, we still have a very close relationship, I am the eldest in the family, so my brother often criticizes me, saying that I am stubborn and spoiled by my parents.
My parents passed away relatively early, so he took on the role of parent in the whole family, caring for our younger siblings.
Wei: Chen Yifei is a very passionate person who loves life?
Chen: His character, his dedication to his career and his demeanor have had a great impact on me. So when you look at me sometimes, Mr. Chen is so much like his brother, he looks alike, and his voice is similar to him.
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The movie "The Barber" starring Chen Kun and Zeng Li
It is also Chen Yifei's film posthumous work
Wei: I think you and Mr. Chen Yifei have a special affection for movies.
Chen: Making movies is a dream of Chen Yifei, and he has to make it happen. Recently, because of the filming of "Flowers", director Wong Kar-wai told me that Chen Yifei had gone to Hong Kong to find him when he made movies before. He said that the first thing I said was, "Mr. Chan should never make a movie." It's very hard to make a movie, and Director Wang has a deep experience.
Later it turned out that Chen Yifei can actually be a good director. His physical exertion caused his health to collapse, so what everyone knows about later happened.
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Men's Avatar 2021 (left), Girl's Watercolor Avatar 2011 (Right)
Wei: I heard that there will be a big exhibition of your brother the year after tomorrow?
Chen: The year after next is a big year to pay tribute to him, which is the 20th anniversary. We plan to commemorate Chen Yifei with a large retrospective. Now we have a preliminary intention to cooperate with the Long Museum.
I hope to pass on the spirit of Chen Yifei, which is what I have been doing.