Acrylic on canvas

120 x 90 cm. x 2 47 1/4 x 35 3/8 in. x 2

Titled and signed in Chinese， dated， measured and labeled on reverse of each piece
PROVENANCE
Schoeni Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Europe
4 Jun 2014, Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 806
Private Collection, Asia

Humorous Look at Contemporary Life
Chen Fei's Atheism
Still, at risk of writing myself out of a job, you do not need this text to understand Chen Fei's paintings in all their myriad nuances. With the clarity and precision of the reality-based artistic illusions the paintings contain, they are accessible to anyone who gives a moment's pause beyond that skim of the gaze to discover the delightful humor.
— Karen Smith
Chen Fei is one of the most unique painters among the generation born in the 1980s. The experience he gained during his studies in the Fine Arts School of the Beijing Film Academy gave him a broad perspective, and his work has a cinematic-like narrative and outlook. Chen Fei is usually inspired by a real-life scene and then adds his unique sense of humor to explore themes like life and death, violence, gender, and other issues. His works neither have the rigorous style of academics nor the characteristics of traditional Chinese painting, yet he is able to create strong visual tension with almost two-dimensional images.
The object of this auction, Atheism, created in 2007, consists of two paintings, one of which features a man and another a woman. The woman is pointing her finger up, her slightly messy hair and casual clothes hinting at how she really is when letting it all hang out. The man, wearing a green T-shirt, faces the viewer making the same gesture as the woman. The stiff expression of his face contrasts sharply with the shouting face on his T-shirt, showing, with a unique sense of humor, the spiritual dilemmas of modern people. In this picture, the use of highly saturated, bright colors and large blank spaces achieve a comic book-like effect. The empty background echoes the indifference of the two characters, highlighting the alienation and loneliness of modern life.
In terms of technique, the details of Atheism are extremely well carried out, giving it a “camera lens” feel reminiscent of Roy Fox Lichtenstein's works. The delicate, “ultra-flat” style gives the picture a strong sense of realism. Both characters are touching the tips of their fingers in an ingenious way, reproducing the iconic gesture form Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Via the composition of this work, Chen Fei interprets The Creation of Adam in a modern way, not only highlighting his inner creativity, but also reminding modern society, often superficial and short-sighted, to not only focus on the tangible, material world, but also to explore one's inner world.

Price estimate:
HKD: 550,000 - 750,000
USD: 70,100 - 95,500

Auction Result:
HKD : --