Shen Ming Cun

Shen Ming Cun

Why add Shen Ming Cun's work to your collection? View Bio

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Exquisite Traditional Chinese Portraits

Why add a Shen Ming Cun to your collection?

Shen Ming Cun offers an exquisite modern take on the traditional portrait painting, through his masterful pairing of Western painting conventions with traditional southern Chinese cultural practices. His highly sought after and collectable artworks have been met with international acclaim, and grace public and private collections worldwide. His portraits present an immense detail and emotion that incites attention within any space, and are complementary to interiors both traditional and contemporary in style. Shen’s works are timeless, masterfully created, and simply stunning, making for the perfect addition for every collector seeking a modern masterpiece. 

About Shen’s Work 

Shen’s world-renowned paintings are predominantly figurative, and the artist renders his portraits and domestic scenes with an immense attention to detail. He captures the likenesses of the Miao, Yao, and Dong tribes, and effortlessly renders the beautiful detail in their traditional costumes and finery. This traditional dress often calls for bold colour, which the artist handles with an unmatched tastefulness. His sitters are presented against neutral grey backgrounds, creating a timeless and modern feel within his traditionalism. The ornate garments worn by his sitters are reserved for weddings, celebrations, and religious festivals, and are expertly translated into paint by the artist. However, Shen’s artistic expertise lies not only in his supreme technical skill, but in his ability to convey emotion also. His portraits are beautiful ethnographic documents, preserving the realities of the people of the Sichuan region. Shen often presents his sitters with a sense of pensive charm, to establish an inviting atmosphere of intimacy and intrigue for the viewer. 

Shen’s work is informed by the attitudes, cultures, and histories of the tribes he depicts. His paintings are at once contemporary and traditional, as the artist combines a crisp, modern handling of colour with long-established subjects and artistic style. Using oil on canvas, he works with a delicate handling of light and colour to capture the vibrant colours in the traditional costumes worn by his subjects. He captures the intricate details in their silver finery through a masterful lightness of hand, which establishes a captivating reality within his work. Shen’s wealth of talent, technical skill, and ability has afforded his work comparisons to that of the Old Masters, and has popularised it amongst collectors worldwide. Shen’s refined approach to painting references the portraiture, Still Life, and domestic scenes of the Dutch Golden Age, making for pieces that are rich in detail and personality. 

Styling Ideas
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The varied exhibition history of Shen’s work, and the ways in which collectors have styled his paintings is testament to the versatility of his timeless designs. The artist’s refined use of bold colours is complementary to modern tastes, and has accompanied abstract pieces perfectly. From his smallest works at just 40cm in width to his largest pieces that exceed a metre in height, the magnificent detail of Shen’s paintings encourage contemplative viewing, and are suited to display in prominent spaces. Shen’s work is excellently suited to being a focal point, and can be displayed above mantelpieces or over side tables to draw greater attention to the enchanting detail of his works. The understated use of colour allows the artist’s skill to shine through, and perfectly suits his work to display amongst more traditional collections; alongside classical landscapes or floral Still Life paintings. Shen’s works are complementary to both traditional and modern tastes, offering a unique, elegant, and truly captivating addition to any collection.

About The Artist

Shen was born in 1956 and graduated from the University Art College of Guangxi in China, where he is now a professor of European Art. He is highly respected as an official artist for the Chinese Government, and has exhibited in Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, New Zealand, and Britain. His distinctive approach to realism has popularised his work amongst many collectors, and his paintings are found in collections across the globe.

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