陈半丁 ，光绪壬午生于浙江山阴，家贫而志坚，自幼即通诗书画。拜吴昌硕为师，苦学不辍，四十后赴京，执事北京图书馆、北平艺专。
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.
陈氏艺事，擅花卉、山水、人物，尤以花鸟、山水闻名。其为「运古派」之宗，研古法而不遗余力，兼发己意，融古人成法与自然丘壑，糅以个人理想，成一格调，与古不违，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.
陈半丁花鸟初受吴昌硕、任伯年之风。光绪戊申【秋花秋食】中，任伯年之影历历可见。甲子【墨牡丹】扇，点法仍遵吴昌硕，乙丑【牡丹图】则几与吴氏无异。随岁月迁移，陈氏风格渐趋独立，师法吴昌硕、任伯年，溯源青藤、白阳、八大及扬州、金陵诸派，临习创作，成独特风貌。
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】，笔法恣意，水墨淋漓，显徐渭狂放不羁之风。癸未【临徐青藤花卉册】，造型简约严谨，融青藤白阳。其梅花亦广采金农、汪士慎、赵之谦、八大山人之长。陈氏花卉造型严谨，笔墨苍润朴拙，色彩艳丽沉着，构图讲究诗书画印相辅相成，雅俗共赏。
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，陈氏从「四王」入手，师法石涛，融宋元古意，成苍润秀美、简约疏放之风。戊子【竹溪清话】与己丑【拟郭河阳秋山图】，皆显宋元气象，境界开阔，笔墨清晰，设色古雅。
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.
陈半丁艺海兼蓄并收，不限一格，不拘一隅，广采众长，独成风貌。其花卉画主调为「陈白阳加吴昌硕」，既有吴昌硕、赵之谦金石书法之苍劲，亦含华新罗之清俊、金冬心与汪士慎之疏放。山水画则在石涛基础上简化笔法、墨法，融高古意趣，成疏放古雅之风。
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.
陈为吴昌硕亲授弟子，陈师曾与金城之好友，选择金石派与传统阵线。诗、书、画、印四艺皆精，山水画宗法石涛，风格高古;花卉画汲取明清诸家之法，熔于一炉，成独特艺术风貌。书法、篆刻宗赵之谦、吴昌硕，浑厚古朴，艺品极高。
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.
陈半丁多才多艺，诗书画印无不精绝。画山水、人物、花卉、走兽诸题，尤以花卉为最。广采明清诸家之法，融汇一炉，成独特风貌。其山水宗法石涛，高古清逸;书法篆刻宗赵之谦、吴昌硕，参融古法，浑厚古朴，艺臻上乘。
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.
陈半丁一生，志在绘事，集百家之长，笔墨间体味百味人生，成中国写意花鸟画之翘楚。其艺创出入传统，融汇南北，由俗入雅，化疏拙为潇洒，转画风为雅致，笔墨苍润，气韵生动，清雅秀逸，古拙大气，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.
细品其花卉，早期吴昌硕之影犹在，得古厚浑穆之气。中后期渐融儒雅，风格清新俊逸。吴昌硕以石鼓文入画，具疏朴粗犷之气;陈半丁则书卷气入画，呈儒雅中和之韵，疏放苍润，古雅简约，朴拙自然，实为其画作最大亮点。
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.
陈半丁善于凡物细微中探其奇，揭其美。花卉一笔一划皆蕴世界，一草一木尽显精神。其花鸟灵动清隽，独具风采，赏心悦目，雅俗共赏，洋溢时代气息，展奋发之力。
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.
居京后，结识名家，观摩古迹，拓艺视野。花卉尤善没骨写意与白描相融，线面互映，巧拙相生，画面对比鲜明。凡物细节中见其美，笔下花鸟灵动清秀，独具风采，雅俗共赏，洋溢时代气息。
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.
书工四体，行书得米元章韵，篆刻遵吴昌硕钝刀，浑厚高迈。二十世纪初，居北京画坛中坚，与齐白石并驾。然海派风引京城，今人多忘其辉煌成就。其艺价低估，因研究缺乏，宣传不足。
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.
庚戌岁正月，陈半丁病逝。一生追绘，集百家长，于笔墨中体味百味人生，出入传统，融会南北，由俗入雅，画风潇洒，笔墨苍润，气韵生动，清雅秀逸，古拙大气，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.
