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 200 ...

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 Ju Lian (; 1828–1904), a native of Panyu (番禺, now Guangzhou, was a Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was 'Ancient Spring' (Gu Quan 古泉), and self-given pseudonym 'Old Man of the Divided Mountain' (Ge Shan Lao Ren 隔山� ...

. 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, Gao ...

and

Gao Qifeng Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

, 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 northe ...

", became leaders of the

Lingnan school of painting The Lingnan School () of painting, also called the Cantonese School, is a style of painting from the Guangdong or Lingnan region of China. This school reflects a style of painting founded in the 19th century in Guangdong province by ''Two Gaos an ...

, 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. 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