Born in Singapore in 1959, Henri Chen Kezhan is a graduate from Baharuddin Vocational Institute (1979) and the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris (1986). He was also a student of eminent artists Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) and Zhao Shao-ang (1905-1998). Since 1977, Chen has exhibited in solo and group shows locally and internationally, and in 2001 he was one of four artists who represented Singapore in the 49th Venice Biennale. In 1985, Chen was awarded the silver medal by the Salon des Artistes France and in 1993, the Young Artist Award by the Singapore government. In the late 1990s, Chen developed an interest in depicting the lines and textures of rocks. In ‘Rock over Mountain’, the brushwork is forceful yet varied, and the skilful employment of dry and wet brush conveys changing textures and chromatic properties.
