| M01 |
After School
Since her childhood, Lady Diana has "always
loved babies, always been sweet with the little ones." She undoubtedly
showered most of her love upon her own children, Princes William and Harry.
"I want to bring them up with security," she said. "I hug
my children to death and get into bed with them at night. I always feed
them love and affection; it's so important."
Breaking away from centuries of royal tradition, Princess Diana breastfed
her sons and insisted on having them receive the same education that every
British schoolboy obtained. She preferred for them to live normal lives
and understand the experiences of real society. Diana sent her boys to the
Wetherby School and brought them home whenever she could.
In this painting, Dr. Chen not only mixed the royal family with civilians,
but also integrated them into Western art history. Renoir's famous "On
the Terrace" (1881) mother and daughter are so naturally introduced
into the royal family that the scene could be like a souvenir photograph.
Another of Renoir's masterpieces, "The Swing" (1876) serves as
the garden background. Dressed in their school uniforms, Prince William
and Harry happily return home with their mother, chatting with friends on
the way and passing flowers and forest.
Though a descendent of an aristocratic family, Princess Diana grew up as
an ordinary British girl. After her marriage with Prince Charles, she did
her best to "modernize" the royal family and keep them in touch
with the lives and experiences of the masses. For example, Diana took her
sons to wait in line to eat at McDonald's, to visit the homeless, to comfort
the dying in the hospitals, etc. As a tender mother, Diana always tried
to show William and Harry another aspect of life, in the hopes that love
and compassion for others would awaken in their hearts. (
by T. F. and Julie Chen ) |
| M02 |
Art Collector,
Diana
Dressing up in one's favorite clothes, admiring
one's art collection and taking photos as souvenirs are all simple pleasures
in life. In this painting, Princess Diana stands in a dimly lit living room
in the company of masterpieces, and under the brown candlelight, the lovely
lady becomes an artwork herself.
Under closer attention, we recognize not only the "Girl with a Pearl
Earring" (c. 1665-1666) by Vermeer but the Dutch chair of about the
same age, as well as the curtain behind Diana, also by Vermeer. The bouquet
and fruits in front of Diana look like everyday objects, but upon examination,
we discover that they are in fact, a combination of Cezanne's "Flowers
in a Blue Vase" (1873-75 ) and "Still Life with Curtains"
(1898-99). The delicately decorated gown in "satin Duchesse" with
pearls, flowers, and leaves in gold worn by the Princess was originally
in milky-white. Yet for the harmony of the whole picture, Dr. Chen tinted
the gown an amber yellow.
At first glance, this picture looks like an ordinary aspect of a family
living room; yet it is a combination of five masterpieces from Western art
enhanced with the presence of Diana. Under Chen's brush, the compassionate
Princess Diana has become a collector of artwork, which would probably win
the admiration of her husband, Prince Charles, who is also very fond of
art.
"Quotation" and "appropriation" are essential elements
for Post-modern expression. It's the technique of "reconstruction"
after "deconstruction;" an aesthetic expression of our "recycling
age," an aspect of "computer art" in an information age.
Dr. T. F. Chen established his "Five-dimensional Universal Culture"
theory in 1969 in Paris, and "Neo-Iconography" is the application
of such theory in artistic expressions, an avant-garde of Post-Modern culture.
Under Dr. Chen's brush, Princess Diana becomes post-modernized and merged
into art history. ( by T. F. and Julie Chen
) |
| M03 |
Hand in Hand
In a tragic week in September 1997, the world
lost two of its greatest and kindest women: the Princess of Wales and Mother
Theresa.
Even though their lives and backgrounds were extremely different, both of
them devoted their lives wholeheartedly to charity and humanity. The compassion
and achievements of both women were phenomenal and will be remembered by
the world.
Princess Diana utilized and transformed the prestige and power of her royal
position into a dynamic force to serve the more than 200 charitable funds
and institutions which she chaired. As "a symbol of selfless humanity,
a standard-bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden," Princess
Diana comforted the sick, the weak and the disabled; as well as embraced
the fight against AIDS, cancer, alcoholism, and landmines. The unhappy experiences
of her youth and the hardships of her own life greatly deepened the Princess'
own love and compassion for all of humanity.
Mother Theresa was regarded by the Princess of Wales as an inspirational
example of true human love and kindness. Diana visited Mother Theresa several
times; they served as sources of strength and encouragement to each other
in their shared devotion towards improving the lives of the less fortunate
around the world. To see these two sincere, courageous women "hand
in hand" is a comforting image of hope for all people.
For his painting "Hand in Hand," Dr. Chen selected the image of
Diana's visit to Mother Theresa in front of a nursing home in the Bronx,
New York City in 1996. For the background, Chen selected Gauguin's powerful
"Yellow Christ" (1889) and Rouault's "Fin d' Autumne No.
3" (1948-52). Chen treated the entire background a la Rouault's religious
atmosphere and touches. Under the twilight of a red sunset, the open arms
of Jesus Christ welcome the two magnificent women, as they wave farewell
to the world they cared for so much-as they enter their new lives. (
by T. F. and Julie Chen ) |
| M04 |
Presentation
After the glamorous "Wedding of the Century,"
Princess Diana was pregnant and on June 21, 1982, the little Prince William
was born. It was cause for national rejoicing, but no one rejoiced more
than Diana. The child was not only the heir to the throne, but the living,
breathing symbol of her love for her husband.
When the Queen saw the tiny bundle the day after his birth, she smiled at
Diana and said, "Well, thank goodness he doesn't have ears like his
father." Yes, the little prince was undoubtedly a lovely, handsome
baby. It's said that between the two births of William and Harry, the second
prince born on September 15, 1984, Diana and Charles enjoyed the happiest
time of their marriage.
This picture by Dr. Chen was based originally on a photo of Prince William
with his parents on the occasion of his first birthday. Through artistic
arrangement, Chen has added Queen Elizabeth to the joyous occasion, suggesting
the three generations of British royal sovereignty together as one family.
Above them is the famous image of "Madonna and Child in Majesty"
by Cimabue, an icon as well as an artwork of the Middle Ages, now treasured
in the Uffizi Palace in Firenze. In Cimabue's work, the Madonna is presenting
the baby Christ to the world under the showers of blessings from angels.
So in this new version of Presentation, the British royal family proudly
yet informally, presents Prince William, the future king, to England. (
by T. F. and Julie Chen ) |
| M05 |
Queen of Hearts
"I hope to be the Queen of People's Hearts,"
the Princess of Wales said before her tragic accident. Eventually this title
became the very one first honored by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair
on the second day after her death and accepted by the whole world henceforth.
Diana, and her brief life as a fairy tale princess has transcended into
an international legend, the "Queen of People's Hearts."
This artwork can also be thought of as "Art Collector's Dream,"
for in this painting, Dr. Chen quotes three masterpiece images from Matisse:
"Pink Onion" (1906) as seen on the table, ""Goldfish"
(1912) as being on Diana's upper left hand side, and a paper cutout "Icarus"
(1943) on her right hand side. Matisse's original "Icarus" was
a cutout black figure with a red heart. Chen has changed the black color
into white so that the red heart, symbolizing Princess Diana's radiant compassion
for humanity and devotion to charity, would show out clearly and become
the focus of the painting.
It is by the noblesse of her spirit, rather than her physical beauty that
made Diana the "Queen of People's Hearts." The awarding of the
Nobel Prize in 1998 to an institution that fought to ban landmines can be
seen as a salute to the Princess, who was one of the greatest vanguards
of the cause.
Since Diana was very fond of red dresses, Dr. Chen chose one of her images
in red to accommodate the entire picture as a rich, harmonious, and resounding
orchestration of vivid colors. ( by T. F.
and Julie Chen ) |
| M06 |
Royal Art Studio
Among the British royal family, Prince Charles
obtained the highest academic education. Besides horseback riding, polo,
and hunting, he also enjoys philosophy, literature, opera, architecture,
and fine arts. The Prince possesses talent in painting as well; he sometimes
sketches and paints in the quiet countryside, and often brings painting
materials with him when traveling.
In this "Royal Art Studio" by Dr. Chen. Prince Charles becomes
integrated into Western art history. In the forefront, we see the most familiar
and universal model by the New Classic master: Ingres (1780-1867). The model
in his "The Velpcon Bather" (c. 1808) sits on a couch of the Napoleon
age in the middle of the studio. Facing her, we see Cezanne (1839-1906)
painting on an easel. On the model's left, Prince Charles concentrates on
his canvas. The smiling Princess Diana stands beside Charles and watches
in admiration. Oranges and a coffee pot by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90) sit
on a round table nearby.
Hanging up on the wall in the background are some paintings, including a
portrait by El Greco (1541-1614).
Upon looking at Chen's artwork, one may often feel the experience of deja-vu.
Quoting famous images (icons) from art history, combining them (sometimes
with actuality) in a new order to create an assumptive scenario/situation
with new message/meaning through aesthetic expressions are the main characteristics
of Dr. Chen's "Neo-Iconography" style, which presents an aspect
of "Post-Modern" art.
In the picture, it seems that Prince Charles has set up an art studio of
his own and has invited Cezanne, the "Father of Modern Art" to
be his teacher. The Prince has also employed the most beautiful model in
the history of Western art to pose for him. How wonderful it would be to
have such a royal art studio! ( by T. F.
and Julie Chen ) |
| M07 |
Royal Kiss
Prompted by the crowd, the newly-weds exchange
their first public kiss on the balcony of Buckingham palace on July 29th,
1981. With 750 million television viewers and 600,000 well-wishers crowded
live in London as witnesses, the climax of this century's greatest Cinderella
story was taken by the camera and broadcasted to the entire globe.
This intimate scene between Diana and Charles was one of the most joyful
moments for Englad as well as the world. It was a storybook romance come
true-"a fresh young girl who found her prince, and a nation found its
princess. After a brief courtship, a glorious wedding day was the culmination
of all their hopes."
No matter what happened afterward, in most almanacs, the "gentle kiss"
etched the happiest image of the '80s: Prince Charles in his naval best
and Princess Diana in her fantastic creation spun out of antique lace.
In the "Princess Diana Series," Dr. Chen integrates Diana's legend
into art history. Marc Chagall, one of the greatest artists of our century,
is famous for his fantastic imagery, romantic coloration, and dreamy imagination.
With his unique combination of surrealism, rich and expressive colors, fragments
of childish memory, and love for the decorative and theatrical, Marc Chagall
has created a lyrical, legendary world of surpassing beauty in art history.
The British Royal Family's "Wedding of the Century" seems a fitting
match then, for Chagall's masterful creativity.
In this artwork, Dr. Chen selected one of Chagall's masterpieces, "The
Woman With the Blue Face" (1932-60), for the background of the happening,
along with images of the couple rising in the sky, flowers, a red horse,
a clown playing a flute, and other fanciful images. To commemorate this
joyful and spectacular "royal kiss" of the century, Dr. Chen also
added the silhouette of London's Parliament Building, the Eiffel Tower,
a bridge crossing the Seine with buildings ashore, and a red sun. Chen's
combination of real life scenes with historical art images manifests a "post-modern"
enrichment of imagination and interpretation in culture. (
by T. F. and Julie Chen ) |
| M08 |
Style Queen
Princess Diana was a dress designer's dream,
and she transcended fashion. With her tall, slim figure, broad shoulders
and long legs, she had the angular look of a lovely fashion model. It can't
be denied that the Princess definitely loved fashion. From 1981 to 1991,
she shelled out almost $2 million on her wardrobe and by the early '90s,
she had accumulated more than 3,000 outfits, including 50 yards of ball
gowns and 600 pairs of shoes. Yet it was Diana's radiant personality, kind
heart and elegant calm which made her truly beautiful and unforgettable.
From demure and shy Di to blond and mature beauty, Princess Diana blossomed
in the 16 years of her royal life before the tragic accident. She was the
most dazzling star with her ever changing styles, from Catherine Walker's
creations to Christina Stambolian designs, Dior to Versace, from sophisticated
evening gowns to simple blue jeans; Diana was always the focus of the camera.
She was the "cover-girl" of the world, the style-queen of her
time.
This picture of "Style Queen (A)" is the first of a series that
Chen would like to develop of one of the essential aspects of Diana. Here
the artist chose one of the most seemingly "Bauhaus" styles which
she wore when she brought her two sons home from school. Diana's geometric
suit plus the black and white bellboy hat inspired Dr. Chen to set her upon
a background "a la Mondrian." The bold and beautiful compositions
of black lines and primary colors of red, yellow, and blue, reveal an abstract
beauty of the 20th century.
The juxtaposition of Diana dressing with a Mondrian-like composition places
fashion and art together in a harmonious and complementary way, enriching,
resounding, and converging into one. Here fashion is art; art becomes fashion.
( by T. F. and Julie Chen )
|