Shen Chen (born 1955, Shanghai, China) once described his oeuvre as a quest for "a kind of spirit of ink painting". This statement touches upon the core of his work, which has been said to be Western in appearance but Oriental in soul. Chen studied and practices the Chinese painting theory of mo fen wu se, which teaches not only how to use the traditional five shades but also how to observe color as a system.

Chen's abstract work breathes not only the Zen philosophy that underlies it but also something atmospheric, whereby it evokes associations both with the Chinese tradition of painting and with the work of the British landscape painter William Turner or the American color field esthetics of Mark Rothko. This diversity of possible references, and the meditative repetition that constitutes his method, results in a body of work that exposes his Oriental background as well as the Western cultural influences he has undergone.

Shen Chen's work well fits the theme of Color and Research at the AkzoNobel Art Foundation. It is exhibited worldwide.