EXHIBITED:
Beijing- Young Realist Oil Paintings of the Contemporary Chinese , Aimer Museum, Beijing, July 2 - August 2, 2016
Cerulean Initiative, Portraying the World: Oil Paintings of Chen Cheng Wei , Wenzhou Cultural Centre, Zhejiang, September 20 - October 2, 2016

ILLUSTRATED:
Chen Chengwei Painting Collection 2005-2016 , China
Federation of Literary and Art Circles publishing, Beijing, 2016, color illustrated, p. 64

In 2002, Chen Cheng Wei was admitted to China Academy of Art with the highest score of the year, and was granted with the highest award - the Academy Award - by the China Academy of Art for the best graduation work. After finishing school, he settled in Beijing for his painting career. In 2009, he started working at the Chinese Academy of Oil Painting Department, and, influenced by oil painting masters such as Feiyun Yang, Chen studied abroad in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Chen admires western oil painting masters such as Rembrandt. He accentuates his work with a hint of high culture, the classical, and a careful depiction of lighting, integrating Chinese elements with modernity flawlessly.

Chen Cheng Wei embraces his life. He is optimistic and progressive, and yet pushes himself quite rigorously. His friends commented that he is a workaholic, yet he joked that it is only his OCD at work, forcing him to paint every day. He once said, When studying the masterpieces, you first have to know which elements suit your style, and then find the balance between emulating and creating. Otherwise, you'd either be like a copycat or seem inexperienced. Chen's works reflect this belief. While they are full of emotions and details, everything feels natural and Chen seems to have painted them with ease. He has grand ideals and readily takes action to fulfill them. Like he said, he is still learning and discovering his ways - ther e is bound to be mor e breakthroughs.

The Republic of China series has become the representation of Chen. The depiction of sentiments is exquisite - they are felt, yet not shown; so slight, but still per ceivable. He utilized glazing on semi-solid media, a technique that he cleverly learned from the artistic language of classical western masterpieces. Painted over many years, the series of The Republic of China is both cultural and historical, while also exhibiting a sense of modernity. Both the passage of time and the reality of the moment subtly find their ways in this work. It is also a mirror for history. The eyes, full of sentiments, touch the viewers' heart and give them an infinite space for imagination.