I’m not sure why, but I’ve been on a real illustration binge lately. While I was going through my twitter feed and ran into a talented artist that creates some of the most interesting illustrations that I’ve seen in a while. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great illustrators online, and many have great work as well. It’s just the work of Wenyi Geng just struck me somehow. If I were forced to give an answer why I enjoyed his work, I’d say that I think it’s is use of line mixed with the pastel colors that really caught my attention the most.
Most the pieces that I looked at were playful and fun. The one that drew me into his work was of a of a fully clothed woman riding a wave while holding an umbrella. If I had that kind of creativity, I would say that it’s straight out of a dream, but I don’t. I can only enjoy Wenyi’s work. That piece in particular, gives the impression that the artist has incorporated some of the ukiyo-e style into it. The ukiyo-e style is best identified by the woodblock print of the Japanese artist, Hokusai.
As far as I can tell on my quick examination of his work, none of the pieces are labeled by name or size. So my only way to identify them is by the content of the work. Another piece that I enjoyed was of a bird drawn in a playful manner. I think that’s the only way I can describe it quickly. Since this isn’t a critique, just my observations, you’ll have to cut me some slack. This piece is child-like and fun, and plays with one of Dali’s most famous pieces, The Persistence of Time’s melting clocks. Only with Wenyi’s work he’s replaced the melting clock with a melting orange slice. To a lesser degree I get a sense that there is a touch more Surrealism in his work. I can’t help but feel that the artist is taking a cue from Magritte as well. Though I can’t tell why, it’s just a feeling.
After doing some research online I’ve found out a little bit about him. Wenyi Geng was born in Japan, grew up in China, studied at SVA MFA Illustration and currently based in Tokyo Japan. Before writing this article I had not heard of him so I didn’t know if he was up and coming, or already established. I’m going to say that I’m embarrassed to see that he is very recognized in his field. I realize that I can’t know everything about the artists that I profile on this site, but Wenyi has been featured in at least three magazines. The magazines are listed on his personal site at http://www.wenyigeng.com/ in the about page. Other than that there really wasn’t that much more about him. I think it’s great that he’s getting the recognition that he deserves.
