CHEN Chi-kwan devoted his life to both architecture and painting, achieving remarkable success in both fields. In architecture, he participated in the design of Taipei Main Station, Taipei Songshan Airport, and the Luce Memorial Chapel at Tunghai University in Taichung—works that have become part of the shared cultural memory of the public. In painting, CHEN is regarded as an important representative of contemporary ink art. He was active in the postwar era, a period characterized by vigorous cultural exchange and exploration between East and West. In his youth, CHEN received a traditional classical education, which laid a solid foundation in literati culture; later, his years in Europe and the U.S immersed him in the currents of modern art. From concept to technique, his works fuse the literati spirit of calligraphic writing with the essence of modern art: he employed concise brushwork and ink to depict abstract imagery, while retaining the linearity and tonal depth of traditional painting. His works reveal a harmonious integration of tradition and modernity.

Active in Europe and the United States for decades, CHEN’s influence also resonated in Asia. In 1980, the National Museum of History in Taipei organized a retrospective exhibition for him. After returning from the United States, CHEN taught at Tunghai University for more than twenty years. The present work, painted in 1981, belongs to the artist’s mature period. With simple brush and layered shades of ink, the image of dogs at playing is vividly constructed.

The theme of this work is also noteworthy. Although “minimalist animals” became one of CHEN Chi-kwan’s signature subjects, most of these works feature monkeys or cats. Paintings with dogs as the theme are comparatively rare. Aside from the present lot, only two other published examples are known: “Affection”, painted in 1970, illustrated in A Retrospective of CHEN Chi-kwan at Eighty, pp. 92–93; and “Solidarity”, painted in 1981, illustrated in Le Shan Tang Contemporary Paintings, pp. 26–27, published 1988. Thus, the present lot can be regarded as an unusual example within CHEN’s classic repertoire of subjects.

This work demonstrates the artist’s distinctive creative style, with fluid lines, vivid imagery, and a rarely seen theme. Furthermore, it retains its original mounting, with labels handwritten by the artist in both Chinese and English. CHEN titled the work “Play” which is corresponding to the meaning of its Chinese title and alluding to the playful imagery of dogs. Through this naming, the artist’s ingenuity and childlike charm are revealed, making the present lot even more engaging.