Xue Yong Nian

More than ten year since Li Chen and I have been teaching together in the Central Institute Of Fine Arts. During those years, the distant source and long stream of Chinese painting has happened a tremendous change. Firstly, to examine the theory of the sole subject, making the silent and lonely flower-bird painting returning to vitality, so that, Li Chen, as a good painter at freehand brushwork in Chinese flower-bird painting, took the opportunity to show his talent. Later on, western culture trends which broke off for many years, having surged our national boundaries, suddenly run through as flood driving violent waves, having pushed a torrent drowning the ground, the dash on the Chinese-western culture in arts territory, lead to a controversy about the Chinese painting what course to follow. But Li Chen do not present his views vehemently in these sharp conflicts, only based himself on his own ground, has the whole country in mind and the whole world in view, in the hard and full of joy or art practices, he is to be careful consideration to probe something new continuously, succeeding the Chinese painting traditions and expanding the new fields for successors, achieves the transformation of the traditional Chinese painting to modern Chinese painting. He is not a man of weak character, he has not been blown down by the strong western culture wind, but as a bold man, he is marching forward courageously.

Jiang Bao Lin, a painter and a fried of Li Chen, has commenced his art, saying that, "traditional brush and ink, modern thought", on the whole I also have the same feeling. More than ten years old, as I make researches of Chinese painting. I was often invited to go to Li Chen's family as a guest, we have held wine cups talked over the ancient and modern, vehemently discussed the Chinese and foreign, viewed his new works, discussed painting thesis, I cannot say really I know his art very deeply, but I have earnestly practiced and seen with my eyes that he is in the course of changing reforms, repeatedly working out a new scheme, finally, he has achieved outstanding with the initiative in his own hands. Seeing his great advances, knowing his joy and sorrow. His large painting album will be published soon, I was asked to write a preface, so that, taking this opportunity, I write down my own recognition, for public audience to deliberate.