Yiming Chen is a Chinese realist oil painter who was born in 1951 in Shanghai He was the younger brother of the renowned Chinese painter Chen Yifei Chen studied at the Shanghai Fine Art School and Shanghai Drama College He eventually went on to live in the United States for many years and has enjoyed numerous solo exhibitions throughout the United States and China His most important works are the paintings of women who wear the traditional attire of China His works were deeply inspired by instances drawn from his own life These included traditional Chinese elements and artifacts such as fans and musical instruments As a devout realist, he was able to powerfully capture the very essence of Old Shanghai in his paintings His portrayal of each expression, nuance and mood is what made him one of the most coveted artists by the collectors of that time, especially in the 1980’s This was also the time he cooperated with both the Wallay Findlay Galleries and the Hammer Galleries in New York Chen had a way about him when it came to establishing a fusion between Western Classical painting techniques alongside the Eastern elements His articulate brushwork was proof to his incessant need to reinvent his style This is very apparent in the exquisite cinematic realism that he portrays on his canvas which only establishes his formidable brand of a melancholic realism