Comparative Art 101 is a column that examines interesting parallels between notable works of Chinese and Western art. As the presence of Chinese art and artists in international creative communities and commercial markets is increasingly pronounced, the interplay between Western art traditions and Chinese innovation is becoming the critical language by which Chinese art is discussed on an international level.

China Guardian's 2007 Spring Auctions will take place at the Kerry Center Hotel in Beijing from May 9-13, 2007. Of the over 5,600 items going on the block, the centerpiece of the auction is a work from famed Shanghainese realist painter Chen Yifei. The nationalistic "Eulogy of the Yellow River" was created by a 25-year-old Yifei in 1972, and is considered representative of his early style. Yifei painted realist propaganda posters during the Cultural Revolution and was a favorite of Communist Party leaders in the 1970s. Although in his later years he was to reexamine his overtly political role in Chinese history and politics, his early work depicts the themes of idealized struggle and nationalist pride using a classicist technique. Insiders estimate that the final price for Chen Yifei's "Eulogy of the Yellow River" could hit 22 to 32 million yuan (US$2.86 - 4.16 million).

When looking back at the period, Yifei remarked, "carrying a red flag and my painting tools, I traveled widely in the Yellow River region looking for subjects for my paintings."

On April 10, 2005, the Chinese-American artist Chen Yifei died in Shanghai's Huashan Hospital at the age of 59.

Eulogy of the Yellow River by Chen Yifei (1972)

The soldier faces the viewer, separating himself as a subject. His eyes are slightly above the viewer and the slight turn of his posture indicates camaraderie and shared circumstance. He leads the viewer. The foregrounding the soldier is standing upon has been lit up and extends outwards towards the edge of the canvas, as if he is leading a larger group of soldiers of which the viewer is a part of. The slightly oversized riffle is at the forefront between the viewer and the soldier, and the bayonet tip narrows in point to the center of the painting; the central tool of their struggle. The unfolding Yellow River is diminished in vibrancy and fades in the distance against the shared camaraderie of viewer and soldier.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Casper David Friedrich (1818)