Chen Kong Fang

Chen Kong Fang (Tung Cheng, China 1931 - São Paulo SP 2012)

Chen Kong Fang was a painter, draftsman, printmaker, and teacher. He studied sumi-e and watercolor in China in 1945. In 1951, he moved to São Paulo with his family, becoming a Brazilian citizen in 1961. Between 1954 and 1956, he studied painting with Yoshiya Takaoka (1909-1978) in São Paulo. He held his first solo exhibition in 1959 at the São Paulo Plastic Artists' Club. Between 1965 and 1967, he explored abstractionism, but later abandoned this approach, returning to figurative art.

In 1972, he began teaching at the São Paulo School of Fine Arts. In 1977, he traveled to North America, Europe, and Asia, where he continued to develop his artistic work. In 1981, the biographical short film "Fang's Path" was produced in São Paulo. In 1985, he visited China at the invitation of the Chinese government, where he visited several sites of artistic interest.

Criticism

"After his apprenticeship (with Takaoka), Fang began to search for his own artistic path. In drawing, and for a long time, he delighted in the subject of horses in motion, which he learned from his master. But in painting, tendencies soon emerged that distanced him from his master. A penchant for the dramatic, the suffering, the abandoned. Beggars, drunks lying dramatically on the sidewalks, slums, old, half-abandoned and ruined houses, animals in strange situations are his favorite subjects. Perhaps an echo of the dramatic sufferings of the war, which he endured at such a young age in the country of his birth. Clearly expressionist tendencies, however, still without the freedom of expressive and expressionist deformations. He remains, for now, within the limits of naturalism. (...) As an 'intermezzo' in his development, he attempted abstractionism. Pressured by the fashion for abstract painting that dominated the country, he tried, among other things, 1965 and 1967, becoming abstract. These were years of suffering. Abstractionism was not in his blood. (...) The wave of new figuration that swept the country freed him from these years of suffering. He returned to his favorite figurative themes: houses, plants, still lifes, landscapes, children's toys, etc. (...) He returned to his old favorite figurative themes (before the abstract attempts) and gradually and progressively developed what we call Oriental Expressionism (...)".
Theon Spanudis
COHN, Glaucia S. (org.); COHN, J. Peter (org.). Fang. São Paulo: Dan Galeria, 1984. 144p. ill. b.w. color.

Solo Exhibitions

1959 - São Paulo, SP - First solo exhibition at the São Paulo Artists Club
1961 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at the Ambiente Gallery
1962 - Salvador, BA - Solo exhibition at the Salvador Public Library
1978 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo exhibition at the Cosme Velho Gallery
1978 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at the Academus Gallery
1981 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at the Dan Gallery
1985 - Schleswing (Germany) - Solo exhibition at the F. Konning Art Gallery
1990 - Lugana (United States) - Solo exhibition at the International Museum of 20th Century Arts
1993 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at the Dan Gallery
1994 - Americana, SP - Solo exhibition at the MAC Americana
2005 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at Cultural Blue Life

Group Exhibitions

1957 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 6th National Salon of Modern Art
1960 - São Paulo, SP - 25th Paulista Salon of Fine Arts, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1961 - São Paulo, SP - 26th Paulista Salon of Fine Arts
1962 - São Paulo, SP - 27th Paulista Salon of Fine Arts
1964 - Brasília, DF - Salon of Modern Art of the Federal District
1965 - São Paulo, SP - 14th Paulista Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1966 - São Paulo, SP - 15th Paulista Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1967 - São Paulo, SP - 32nd Paulista Salon of Fine Arts
1968 - São Paulo, SP - 12th Salon of the Seibi Group of Visual Artists, at the Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance 1968 - Piracicaba, SP - Piracicaba Fine Arts Salon 1968 - Santo André, SP - Santo André Contemporary Art Salon, at the City Hall 1969 - São Paulo, SP - 2nd Paulista Landscape Salon 1969 - São Paulo, SP - 13th Salon of the Seibi Group of Visual Artists - Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance 1969 - São Paulo, SP - 1st Paulista Contemporary Art Salon, at the São Paulo Museum of Art 1976 - São Paulo, SP - Collective Exhibition, at the São Paulo Museum of Art 1978 - São Paulo, SP - Constructivist and Figurative Artists from the Theon Spanudis Collection, at the Porto Seguro Arts Center 1978 - Penápolis, SP - 3rd Northwest Visual Arts Salon, at the Penápolis Educational Foundation
1979 - São Paulo SP - Theon Spanudis Collection, at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo
1979 - São Paulo SP - Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1979 - São Paulo SP - 11th Panorama of Contemporary Brazilian Art, at the Museum of Modern Art
1979 - Atami Japan - 4th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1981 - São Paulo, SP - Transcendent Art, at the Museum of Modern Art
1984 - Curitiba, PR - Simões de Assis Art Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition, at the Simões de Assis Art Gallery
1985 - São Paulo, SP - 100 Itaú Works, at the São Paulo Museum of Art
1985 - São Paulo, SP - Mothers and the Flower in the Vision of 33 Painters, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery
1985 - Penápolis, SP - 6th Northwest Visual Arts Salon, at the Penápolis Educational Foundation
1986 - São Paulo, SP - Antonio Maia, Fang, Inos Corradin, Rapoport, and Wakabayashi, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery Art
1987 - São Paulo SP - 18 Contemporaries, at Dan Galeria
1987 - São Paulo SP - 20th Contemporary Art Exhibition, at Chapel Art Show
1987 - São Paulo SP - Spring, at Liberdade Garô Art Gallery
1988 - São Paulo SP - 15 Years of Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, at the Mokiti Okada M.O.A Foundation
1988 - São Paulo SP - 21st Chapel Art Show, at Chapel Art Show
1988 - São Paulo SP - Five Expressions of Brazilian Art, at the Cultural Space of the Central Bank of Brazil
1989 - São Paulo SP - 22nd Chapel Art Show
1989 - São Paulo SP - Thirty-Three Ways of Seeing the World, at Ranulpho Art Gallery
1990 - São Paulo SP - Fruits, Flowers and Colors, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery
1990 - São Paulo SP - Painted Cats, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery
1990 - São Paulo SP - 6th Brazilian Art Salon, Mokiti Okada M.O.A Foundation
1991 - São Paulo SP - Music in Painting, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery
1991 - São Paulo SP - Chico and the Animals, at the Ranulpho Art Gallery
1991 - São Paulo SP - 20th Bunkyo Salon, at the Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture and Social Assistance
1992 - São Paulo SP - 7th Brazilian Art Salon, at the Mokiti Okada M.O.A Foundation
1993 - São Paulo SP - Works for Illustration of the Literary Supplement: 1956 - 1967, at the Museum of Modern Art
1994 - São Paulo SP - Bandeiras: 60 artists pay tribute to USP's 60th anniversary, at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo. 1995 - São Paulo, SP - Brazil-Japan, at the Mokiti Okada M.O.A. Foundation. 1995 - Curitiba, PR - Collective, at the Waldir Assis Art Gallery. 1995 - Nigata, Japan - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art. 1995 - Tokushima, Japan - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at the Tokushima Cultural Center. 1996 - São Paulo, SP - Bandeiras, at the Sesi Art Gallery. 1996 - São Paulo, SP - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at the São Paulo Museum of Art. 1996 - São Paulo, SP - Collection Exhibition. at the Sudameris Galleria
1996 - Gifu, Japan - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at The Museum of Fine Art Gigu
1996 - Tokyo, Japan - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at the Azabu Art Museum
1997 - São Paulo, SP - Hélio Siqueira and Fang, at the Banespa Museum
1997 - Jacareí, SP - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at the Santa Helena Arts Workshop
1998 - São Paulo, SP - Impressions: The Art of Brazilian Engraving, at the Banespa Paulista Cultural Space
2004 - São Paulo, SP - 22nd Exhibition of Contemporary Artists, at the Esporte Clube Sírio
2004 - São Paulo, SP - Work in Progress. Impertinent Look, at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo
2006 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Golf in Art, at Cultural Blue Life
2007 - Americana SP - ...limites..., at Hermann Müller's Casa da Cultural
2009 - São Paulo SP - 40th Chapel Art Show, at Maria Imaculada School - Chapel School
2010 - São Paulo SP - 41st Chapel Art Show, at Maria Imaculada School - Chapel School

Fonte: Itaú Cultural