陳半丁 ，光緒壬午生於浙江山陰，家貧而誌堅，自幼即通詩書畫。拜吳昌碩為師，苦學不輟，四十後赴京，執事北京圖書館、北平藝專。
Chen Banding was born in the year of Renwu during the Guangxu era in Zhejiang Shanyin. Despite being born into poverty, he showed a steadfast spirit and excelled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting from a young age. He apprenticed under Wu Changshuo, diligently studying and honing his skills. At the age of forty, he moved to Beijing, where he worked at the Beijing Library and the National Art School of Beiping.
陳氏藝事，擅花卉、山水、人物，尤以花鳥、山水聞名。其為「運古派」之宗，研古法而不遺余力，兼發己意，融古人成法與自然丘壑，糅以個人理想，成一格調，與古不違，自成一家。
Chen was adept in various forms of art, excelling in floral, landscape, and figure painting, with a particular renown for his flower-and-bird paintings and landscapes. As a master of the "Yun Gu School," he spared no effort in studying ancient methods, combining them with his personal style. He integrated the techniques of the ancients with the natural world and his ideals, creating a unique artistic style that honored tradition while being distinctly his own.
陳半丁花鳥初受吳昌碩、任伯年之風。光緒戊申【秋花秋食】中，任伯年之影歷歷可見。甲子【墨牡丹】扇，點法仍遵吳昌碩，乙醜【牡丹圖】則幾與吳氏無異。隨歲月遷移，陳氏風格漸趨獨立，師法吳昌碩、任伯年，溯源青藤、白陽、八大及揚州、金陵諸派，臨習創作，成獨特風貌。
Chen Banding's early flower-and-bird paintings were heavily influenced by Wu Changshuo and Ren Bonian. In the Wushen year of the Guangxu era, his work "Autumn Flowers and Fruits" clearly reflected Ren Bonian's style. His "Ink Peony Fan" from the Jiazi year adhered to Wu Changshuo's techniques, while the "Peony Painting" from the Yichou year was almost indistinguishable from Wu's work. Over time, Chen's style evolved independently. He studied Wu and Ren, tracing back to Qingteng, Baiyang, Bada, and the Yangzhou and Jinling schools, developing a unique artistic style through diligent practice and creation.
丙申【墨葡萄】，筆法恣意，水墨淋漓，顯徐渭狂放不羈之風。癸未【臨徐青藤花卉冊】，造型簡約嚴謹，融青藤白陽。其梅花亦廣采金農、汪士慎、趙之謙、八大山人之長。陳氏花卉造型嚴謹，筆墨蒼潤樸拙，色彩艷麗沈著，構圖講究詩書畫印相輔相成，雅俗共賞。
In the Bingshen year, his "Ink Grapes" displayed an unrestrained brushwork, with free-flowing ink, reflecting Xu Wei's wild and untamed spirit. The "Floral Album in the style of Xu Wei" from the Guiwei year featured simple yet meticulous shapes, blending the styles of Qingteng and Baiyang. His plum blossom works also drew from Jin Nong, Wang Shishen, Zhao Zhiqian, and Bada Shanren. Chen's floral paintings were meticulously composed, with robust and simple brushstrokes, vibrant and rich colors, and a composition that harmonized poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, making them appreciated by both scholars and the general public.
山水方面，陳氏從「四王」入手，師法石濤，融宋元古意，成蒼潤秀美、簡約疏放之風。戊子【竹溪清話】與己醜【擬郭河陽秋山圖】，皆顯宋元氣象，境界開闊，筆墨清晰，設色古雅。
In landscape painting, Chen began with the "Four Wangs," primarily following Shitao. He integrated the ancient styles of the Song and Yuan dynasties, creating a style that was both lush and elegant, yet simple and free. His works such as "Bamboo Stream Conversations" from the Wuzi year and "Autumn Mountain Scene in the style of Guo Heyang" from the Jichou year displayed the grandeur of Song and Yuan landscapes, with expansive vistas, clear brushwork, and an ancient elegance in color.
陳半丁藝海兼蓄並收，不限一格，不拘一隅，廣采眾長，獨成風貌。其花卉畫主調為「陳白陽加吳昌碩」，既有吳昌碩、趙之謙金石書法之蒼勁，亦含華新羅之清俊、金冬心與汪士慎之疏放。山水畫則在石濤基礎上簡化筆法、墨法，融高古意趣，成疏放古雅之風。
Chen Banding embraced and assimilated diverse influences in his art, unrestricted by any single style, drawing widely from various traditions to create his own unique style. His floral paintings, primarily characterized by "Chen Baiyang combined with Wu Changshuo," displayed the robust calligraphy of Wu Changshuo and Zhao Zhiqian, as well as the elegance of Hua Xinluo and the looseness of Jin Dongxin and Wang Shishen. His landscape paintings, meanwhile, simplified Shitao's brushwork and ink techniques, incorporating ancient charm to form a style that was both free and elegantly ancient.
陳為吳昌碩親授弟子，陳師曾與金城之好友，選擇金石派與傳統陣線。詩、書、畫、印四藝皆精，山水畫宗法石濤，風格高古;花卉畫汲取明清諸家之法，熔於一爐，成獨特藝術風貌。書法、篆刻宗趙之謙、吳昌碩，渾厚古樸，藝品極高。
Chen was a direct disciple of Wu Changshuo and a close friend of Chen Shizeng and Jin Cheng, aligning himself with the Jinshi School and traditional art circles. He excelled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, mastering all four arts. His landscape paintings followed Shitao, exhibiting an ancient elegance, while his floral paintings drew extensively from various Ming and Qing masters, melding them into a unique artistic style. His calligraphy and seal carving followed Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo, with a style that was robust and ancient, attaining high artistic value.
陳半丁多才多藝，詩書畫印無不精絕。畫山水、人物、花卉、走獸諸題，尤以花卉為最。廣采明清諸家之法，融匯一爐，成獨特風貌。其山水宗法石濤，高古清逸;書法篆刻宗趙之謙、吳昌碩，參融古法，渾厚古樸，藝臻上乘。
Chen Banding was a versatile artist, excelling in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. He painted landscapes, figures, flowers, and animals, with a particular focus on flowers. He extensively drew from the methods of Ming and Qing masters, melding them into a unique style. His landscapes followed Shitao, displaying an ancient and clear elegance, while his calligraphy and seal carving followed Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo, blending ancient methods with a robust and simple style, achieving the highest artistic standards.
陳半丁一生，誌在繪事，集百家之長，筆墨間體味百味人生，成中國寫意花鳥畫之翹楚。其藝創出入傳統，融匯南北，由俗入雅，化疏拙為瀟灑，轉畫風為雅致，筆墨蒼潤，氣韻生動，清雅秀逸，古拙大氣，自成一格。
Throughout his life, Chen Banding dedicated himself to the art of painting, assimilating the strengths of various schools and expressing the myriad flavors of life through his brush and ink, becoming a leading figure in Chinese freehand flower-and-bird painting. His artistic creations navigated tradition, blending northern and southern styles, transitioning from the mundane to the elegant, transforming clumsiness into gracefulness, evolving his style into one of refined elegance. His brushwork was robust, with lively spirit, clear and elegant, ancient yet grand, forming a style uniquely his own.
細品其花卉，早期吳昌碩之影猶在，得古厚渾穆之氣。中後期漸融儒雅，風格清新俊逸。吳昌碩以石鼓文入畫，具疏樸粗獷之氣;陳半丁則書卷氣入畫，呈儒雅中和之韻，疏放蒼潤，古雅簡約，樸拙自然，實為其畫作最大亮點。
A close examination of his floral paintings reveals the influence of Wu Changshuo in his early works, capturing a sense of ancient and robust solemnity. In his later works, Chen gradually incorporated a more refined elegance, with a fresh and graceful style. While Wu Changshuo used the style of stone drum inscriptions in his paintings, giving them a rough and unrestrained aura, Chen infused his works with the scholarly elegance of calligraphy, presenting a harmonious and refined charm. His style was free yet robust, ancient and simple, naturally unpretentious, making this the greatest highlight of his paintings.
陳半丁善於凡物細微中探其奇，揭其美。花卉一筆一劃皆蘊世界，一草一木盡顯精神。其花鳥靈動清雋，獨具風采，賞心悅目，雅俗共賞，洋溢時代氣息，展奮發之力。
Chen Banding had a keen eye for discovering the extraordinary in the mundane, revealing the beauty in the details. Every stroke in his floral paintings contained a world, and every plant and tree conveyed spirit. His flower-and-bird paintings were lively and elegant, uniquely charming, pleasing to both refined and common tastes, filled with the spirit of the times, and exuding a sense of vibrant energy.
居京後，結識名家，觀摩古跡，拓藝視野。花卉尤善沒骨寫意與白描相融，線面互映，巧拙相生，畫面對比鮮明。凡物細節中見其美，筆下花鳥靈動清秀，獨具風采，雅俗共賞，洋溢時代氣息。
After settling in Beijing, Chen met many renowned artists and collectors, and extensively studied ancient masterpieces, broadening his artistic vision. His floral paintings particularly excelled in combining freehand and fine-line techniques, with lines and surfaces complementing each other, blending skill and simplicity, resulting in striking contrasts. He found beauty in the details of ordinary things, and his flower-and-bird paintings were lively and elegant, uniquely charming, pleasing to both refined and common tastes, filled with the spirit of the times.
書工四體，行書得米元章韻，篆刻遵吳昌碩鈍刀，渾厚高邁。二十世紀初，居北京畫壇中堅，與齊白石並駕。然海派風引京城，今人多忘其輝煌成就。其藝價低估，因研究缺乏，宣傳不足。
Chen mastered all four styles of calligraphy, with his running script capturing the elegance of Mi Fu, and his seal carving following Wu Changshuo's blunt knife method, resulting in a style that was robust and grand. In the early 20th century, he was a central figure in the Beijing art scene, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qi Baishi. However, as the Haipai style influenced Beijing, many have since forgotten his achievements. His artistic value has been underestimated, due to a lack of research and insufficient publicity.
庚戌歲正月，陳半丁病逝。一生追繪，集百家長，於筆墨中體味百味人生，出入傳統，融會南北，由俗入雅，畫風瀟灑，筆墨蒼潤，氣韻生動，清雅秀逸，古拙大氣，自成一格。
In the first month of the year Gengxu, Chen Banding passed away. Throughout his life, he pursued the art of painting, assimilating the strengths of various schools and expressing the myriad flavors of life through his brush and ink. He navigated tradition, blending northern and southern styles, transitioning from the mundane to the elegant, transforming clumsiness into gracefulness, evolving his style into one of refined elegance. His brushwork was robust, with lively spirit, clear and elegant, ancient yet grand, forming a style uniquely his own.
