BEIJING.- Following the success of Sotheby’s Beijing Art Week in 2013, Sotheby’s announces Sotheby’s Beijing Spring Sale and Selling Exhibition 2014, 30 May to 1 June, at the China World Summit Wing, Beijing. This three-day series will showcase the varying facets of modern and contemporary Chinese and Western arts to collectors and art lovers in China. Scheduled events include an auction of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art; a selling exhibition of Masters on Paper – From Picasso to Sanyu; an exhibition from the private Hui Tong Collection of Chinese Realist Paintings; and a series of educational programmes featuring leading scholars from China and Sotheby’s specialists.
Kevin Ching, Chief Executive Officer of Sotheby’s Asia, said: “Following the success of Sotheby’s Beijing Art Week last December, we are excited to present Sotheby’s Beijing Spring Sale and Selling Exhibition 2014 to take place in late May during the vibrant auction season in Beijing’s art calendar. Thoughtfully curated, the three- day series combines auction and exhibitions and has been tailored to offer a world-class experience for collectors and art aficionados in China.
Modern and Contemporary Chinese art remains the theme of the auction, which features a selection of exceptional works catering to the taste of Chinese collectors. Sotheby’s meticulous sourcing and curatorial approach was enthusiastically received by our clients last year and this Spring’s offerings build on that achievement. As a multi- channel arts business, we continue to source Western art through our global network and offer it via specially curated selling exhibitions. This season we will bring to market prints and works on paper by some of the most important Western and Chinese artists of the 20th century in Masters on Paper – From Picasso to Sanyu. Collecting works on paper can be an ideal way to create an art collection, and this exhibition provides great opportunities to acquire exceptional artworks by world renowned Western artists.”
Wen Guihua, President of Sotheby’s (Beijing) Auction Co. Ltd., said: “Sotheby’s Beijing Art Week last autumn solidly demonstrated the company’s unrivalled global resources and world-class operational excellence, which encouraged an unprecedented participation by collectors and secured remarkable results. It was also a testament to the increasingly enthusiastic involvement of the China market in a more globalised platform.
This Spring, Sotheby’s continues to commit to our long-term strategy in promoting cultural exchange between East and West by offering properties of world-class standard. By sourcing through our international network, the Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art Auction will offer more than 50 exemplary works by celebrated artists from the respective periods. Presented in homage to the modern Chinese master Zao Wou-Ki is Sou bois dans la nuit, an iconic painting from the artist’s Oracle Bone Period, in which the record-setting masterpiece, Abstraction, was also created. Alongside the auction, we are also privileged to present the Hui Tong Collection of Chinese Realist Paintings exhibition. Twenty representative works from an important Asian private collection will be showcased, and the aesthetic breadth and depth of the collection offers a glimpse of the collector’s zealous passion for art. We look forward to welcoming collectors and art lovers to our series of exciting events, and we are deeply grateful for their recognition for Sotheby’s commitment to excellence.”
MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY CHINESE ART AUCTION (1 June)
The Modern and Contemporary Chinese Arts Sale on 1 June will offer more than 50 outstanding works of exceptional quality, estimated in excess of RMB 85 million / US$13.7 million* in total. Highlights include iconic works by 20th Century Chinese masters Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun, and Wang Yidong, most notably Zao Wou-Ki’s Sous bois dans la nuit, a masterpiece from his Oracle Bone Period. An impressive assemblage of works by renowned contemporary Chinese artists – among them Liu Xiaodong, Zhao Bandi, Zhou Chunya, Mao Yan, and Li Guijun – will complement the modern offerings. Contemporary ink paintings by celebrated artists Liu Dan, Xu Lei, Li Jin and Tian Liming will also be featured.
Modern Chinese Art Highlights
Zao Wou-Ki (1920 – 2013), Sous bois dans la nuit, 1955, Oil on canvas, 91.8 x 72.9 cm. Est. RMB 16 – 24 million / US$2.58 – 3.86 million
Sous bois dans la nuit is a classic representative from Zao Wou-Ki’s Oracle Bone Period, completed in 1955 at the peak of his artistic maturity. Upon the indigo canvas, a mysterious halo of light shines down from above, spreading softly with a moonlit vitality and igniting the serene, secluded forest in the night. Ancient Chinese language symbols constructed by dark lines seemingly metamorphose into spirits adventuring in the forest. The rich symbols infused in this work evoke an imaginary world within the painting; red shapes at the centre of the canvas suggest mysticism. Formerly in the collection of The Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Sous bois dans la nuit was later acquired by an important Asian private collection and has been kept in excellent condition over the past 60 years. Its reappearance at auction is set to attract great interest from connoisseurs and new collectors alike.
Zao Wou-ki (1920-2013), Sous-bois dans la nuit, signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 55; Wichita State University label affixed on the reverse, framed, oil on canvas, 91.8 by 72.9 cm.; 36 1/8 by 28 3/4 in. Estimation 16,000,000 — 24,000,000 RMB (US$2.58 – 3.86 Million). Photo: Sotheby's.
Provenance:Dr. Morris Yarosh, New York
Wichita State University, Kansas
Bunte Auctions Services, USA, 21 September 2003, lot 1289
Private Collection, Asia
This work will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonné by Françoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Foundation Zao Wou-Ki).
Chinese Master of Abstract Zao Wou-ki
Magnificent Contributions Marking Each Artistic Period
Sotheby’s is proud to offer a series of outstanding works by Chinese modern master Zao Wou-ki from various periods between 1950 and 1995 in its Beijing Spring Sale. The five oil paintings and two watercolours offered in this auction are all of reliable provenance and originate from one of Asia’s most important collectors. Combined, they fully embody the artist’s stunning artistic expression by period, his merging of East and West, and his outstandingly creative aesthetic accomplishments. One of the celebrated favourites is undoubtedly Sous Bois Dans La Nuit (Lot 4), completed in 1955 at the peak of Zao’s artistic maturity, and considered a classic representation of the artist’s Oracle Bone Period. Formerly displayed at Wichita State University’s Ulrich Museum of Art in Kansas, the piece passed between several collectors before it was acquired by the current owner. The work has been treasured over the past sixty years, finally to appear on the market in this auction, marking a rare and precious opportunity to acquire an exceptional work that is completely fresh to the market.
The Realm of the Infinite, Overflowing Mysticism
Sous Bois Dans La Nuit is rich with connotation. Upon the indigo canvas, a mysterious halo of light shines down from above, spreading softly with a moonlit vitality, igniting the serene, secluded forest at night. Simultaneously, ancient Chinese language symbols formed by dark black lines seemingly metamorphose into spirits, leaping, running in the forest, exchanging whispers, and pulling each other into play and adventure, infusing the artwork with boundless animation. As former Prime Minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, once said, “in Zao Wou-ki’s artworks live symbols, torn from their skins and from their flesh… Here, the symbols reveal the traces and imprints of the world’s far-reaching roots, communicating an understanding of the world. In China, symbols are the creator’s footsteps, marking a path towards the universe.” The current work is rich in symbolism, and its portrayed environment evoke the careful viewer’s limitless imagination. The contrast created at the piece’s centre with the perfect addition of red, similar to flashes from a campfire, adds further mysticism. Through this piece, what we perceive is the artist’s rich imaginary world as he opens-up a view of the universe right for our eyes.
The most outstanding works from Zao’s Oracle Bone Period have been widely collected by various important international art museums, including the Guggenheim in New York City, which holds Mistral and the National Gallery of Canada in Quebec, which holds Hommage à Qu Yuan (Homage to Qu Yuan). Zao’s paintings have also become objects of desire fro major collectors, such as Abstraction, 1958 which sold after vigorous competition at Sotheby’s Beijing for RMB 89.68 million, setting the record for the highest price achieved for an artwork by the artist. The offering of Sous Bois Dans La Nuit in this auction is expection to generate similar interest.
Emerging from the Collection of Pierre Matisse
After moving to Paris in 1958, Zao befriended a group of local artists, including poet Henri Michaux, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso, with whom he became lifelong friends. Between 1960 and 1980, Zao’s reputation and achievements reached their zenith, his works were exhibited at various leading galleries and museums, including the famed New York gallery of Pierre Matisse, son of Henri Matisse. Since his youth, the younger Matisse possessed a strong interest and passion in the art market, and later became known for his sharp and keen eye. In 1931, he opened his own gallery in the Fuller Building on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where he developed a successful career, to the extent that by 1989 when he passed away, he was one of the most influential people in the art world. Over his career, he held several avant-garde contemporary art exhibitions, featuring many of the most accomplished artists in the West, such as Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Jean Dubuffet, and Alberto Giacometti. In 1979, when Matisse visited Zao’s studio in Paris, he immediately fell in love with the work of the artist. He immediately arranged to hold a large scale solo exhibition for Zao the following year in New York. Another of the highly-anticipated pieces currently on offer, 31.10.79 (Lot 25), was exhibited in the 1980 show at Matisse’s gallery in New York and came from Pierre Matisse’s personal collection.
Peace and Equanimity
Celebrating the Beauty of the World
Zao’s artistic odyssey resembles a brilliant piece of music – with rises and falls in key, pitches high and low, crisp rhythmic changes, sometimes intense, sometimes silent. If the artist’s Oracle Bone Period is considered to contain a sort of mysticism, the 1960s were a decade of the artist’s passion in its prime, and the 1970s – the later years – a decade representing a more leisurely mood of contentment. In 31.10.79, for example, through the simple and elegant application of soft colours, a magnificent landscape emerges in the top half of the canvas. Using a broad flatbrush, the artist applies black and grey to form a mountainous landscape, an emerald green hue evokes springtime, and an orange and blue interacts with and reflects each other. Under the changing light, the sense of space expands further.
In the lower half of the painting, the meticulous layers and treatment of texture create the effect of waves, the shading technique heavily reminiscent of Chinese literati landscapes and Eastern aesthetics, expressed through sophisticated abstract form and line. During Zao’s early art education in Hangzhou, he was particularly affected by the beauty of the city’s West Lake, often visiting the lake to linger, gaze, and stroll along its shores. He once said, “over the evolution of time and the changing of seasons, nature transforms again and again; the tossing of waves, the clever light, the mist in the space between sky and water all have me captured in a fascinated trance. I often sit for hours next to the lake, watching the wind ripple across the calm surface of the water, and the swaying of the birch trees…I have witnessed the expansion and twisting of space.” This painting combines Zao’s nostalgia and wistfulness for the natural beauty of his hometown with his simple, contented mood. With his confident and free brushstrokes, the canvas provides the artist’s impression of the beauty of nature.
Zao Wou-Ki (1920 – 2013), 31.10.79, 1979, Oil on canvas, 145.5 x 113.3 cm. Est. RMB 9 – 12 million / US$1.45 – 1.93 million
In 31.10.79, a magnificent landscape emerges at the upper part of the canvas through Zao Wou-Ki’s application of soft colours. Using a broad brush, the artist applies black and grey paints to form mountainous rocks. The use of emerald green evokes a sense of springtime, while the intertwining use of orange and blue enhances the sense of space. Meticulous layers at the lower half of the painting create a waved effect; the work is reminiscent of Chinese literati landscape features and Eastern aesthetics expressed through the artist’s sophisticated abstract style. 31.10.79 is a blend of Zao’s nostalgia towards the beauty of his hometown and a peaceful mind. The artist rejoices in nature’s beauty with his use of natural colours and free brushstrokes.
Zao Wou-ki (1920-2013), 31.10.79, signed in Chinese and Pinyin; signed in Pinyin and dated 31.10.79 on the reverse, framed, oil on canvas, 145.5 by 113.3 cm.; 57 ¼ by 44 ⅝ in. Estimation 9,000,000 — 12,000,000 RMB (US$1.45 – 1.93 million). Photo: Sotheby's.
Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Europe
This work will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonné by Françoise Marquet and Yann Hendgen (Information provided by Foundation Zao Wou-Ki).
Exposition: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1980
Litterature: Jean Leymarie, ed., Zao Wou-Ki, Cercle d'Art, Paris, 1986, pl. 523, p. 349, illustrated in black & white
YU Jing Feng and CHENG François, Overseas Chinese Artists Series: Zao Wou-Ki, Lingnan Art Publishing House, Guangzhou, Joint Publishing Co. Ltd, Hong Kong, Coll., 1988, p. 56, illustrated in colour
Zao Wou-Ki, Paintings & drawings 1976-80, Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1980, pl. 16, illustrated in colour
Wang Yidong (b. 1955), A Married Woman in the Mountains, 1995-96, Oil on canvas, 190 x 180 cm. Est. RMB 8 – 12 million / US$1.29 – 1.93 million
In A Married Woman in the Mountains, Wang Yidong’s mature realist expertise is evidenced by composition and portrayal of the subject matter. The somewhat stiff subjects and the sophisticated treatment of the detailed creases in the bride and groom’s clothes reveal Wang’s proficiency with Western classical painting techniques. However, what lies within the work beyond technique are abstract philosophies of life, profound Chinese cultural elements, and national consciousness. Tirelessly absorbing and observing the aesthetic concepts of the Chinese nation, Wang has skilfully portrayed prosaic, unpretentious rural Chinese lives. Using stirring classical Western realist techniques, the artist merges quintessential features of both the East and West, successfully creating his own distinct and irreplaceable style.
Wang Yidong (b. 1955), A Married Woman in the Mountains, 1995-96, signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 1995-96, framed, oil on canvas, 190 by 180 cm.; 74 ¾ by 70 ⅞ in. Estimation 8 – 12 million (US$1.29 – 1.93 million). Photo: Sotheby's
Provenance: Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China
Private Collection, Asia
Christie's, Hong Kong, 27 November 2010, lot 2825
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
Exposition: China, Hong Kong, Schoeni Art Gallery, 5th Anniversary Exhibition: Selected Paintings by Twenty-Three Contemporary Artists, 27 February-27 March 1997, unpaginated
Hong Kong, China, Schoeni Art Gallery, Wang Yidong Solo Exhibition, March 1999, pp. 110-111 & 180
Litterature: 1542-2000 Chinese Painting Literature, Zhao Li and Yu Ding ed. Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, Changsha, China, 2002, p.1653
The Chinese Contemporary Distinguished Oil Painter – Wang Yidong, People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, China, 2006, p.53
Contemporary Chinese Artists Oil Painting Albums – Oil Painting Art of Wang Yidong, Tianjing, China, Yang Liu Qing Fine Arts Press, 2008, p.15
A Married Woman in the Mountains – Wang Yidong’s classic portrayal of a wedding celebration reemerges
After the 1980s, the Chinese cultural landscape was uniquely shaped by the Rustic Realism movement. Paintings such as Chen Danqing’s Tibetan Series, Luo Zhongli’s Father, and Ai Xuan’s Zoige County Tundra, among others, gradually established a uniquely Chinese language in the global art scene. The formation of this “rustic” paradigm represented an awareness and understanding among artists of the relationship between globalization and the provincial consciousness. And with respect to artistic language, the development of “rustic” paintings was regarded as a powerful exploration into the language itself. The work A Married Woman in the Mountains, (Lot 15) created in the 1990s by Wang Yidong, one of the leading pioneers of Chinese realist oil-painting, is undoubtedly one of the best interpretations of the East Asian rustic narrative.
After graduation Wang became a faculty member of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts No. 2 Oil-Painting Studio, and later a full-time artist at the Beijing Art Academy, his proficiency in Western oil-painting technique the result of intensive study. Wang’s longing for his childhood home in the Yimeng Mountains, however, is something that has always remained with him. His memories of home are “a time filled with warm colour tones.” Over the years, he has repeatedly depicted with brilliance and warmth village scenes containing the village man, the bride, traditional printed cloths, bright red jackets, among other rustic elements. These are considered, in fact, attempts to map out his own ‘road home’, not unlike those of Andrew Wyeth, who carried with him the burden of sorrow as he painted his hometown time and time again, which he described as being “the size of a postage stamp.” The thick, rich “Chinese red” and the deep, soil-saturated black used by Wang are so pure as to have completely shed their coarseness or vulgarity. In that sense, A Married Woman in the Mountains “is not entirely a realist painting. It contains some romanticism, as well as some idealism.” The visual composition of the piece is seemingly inflated, the wedding scene and the joined hands and positioning of the bride and groom are reminiscent of 15th century Flemish painter Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait. The somewhat stiff subjects and the sophisticated treatment of the detailed creases in their clothing reveal Wang’s proficiency in classical Western painting technique. Yet, his strong sense of provincial consciousness led him to highlight and purify the Western classical form with forms and colours of Chinese folk painting, even including some Chinese ink, line, and shading techniques. We can clearly see the great contrast created by the red and black on the bride’s clothing is clearly seen, as well as the bright light illuminating the bride’s face. The feeling of space is greatly diminished; shadows are nearly non-existent; the flowers, goldfish, and paper decorations have truncated the depth of space, actively pursuing an abstract expressiveness within a representational framework. A very Chinese floral fabric, resembling ancient robes, hangs solemnly behind the bride. Taking the shape of a slowly rising cross, the fabric intensifies the scene’s formality and air of ceremony. Here, Wang skillfully uses his beloved “Chinese red,” filling the fabric draping behind the newlyweds with tender and beautiful peonies, representing jubilation and richness, as well as swimming goldfish, profoundly infusing the work not only with Chinese elements but also with good wishes to the couple.
Amidst the chaotic and diverse art trends of the 80s and 90s, the introverted, reserved Wang held steadfast to the school of realism, bestowing his works with a simple, tranquil appeal. In his painting Wedding Night, completed in 1994, for example, we see the same confused yet calm groom and shy bride positioned in front of hydrangeas, representing eternal unity. Yet the current lot A Married Woman in the Mountains elevates the two-person portrait up to an even higher level, whether in its rigour and richness of composition or in the scene’s dramatic tensionA Married Woman in the Mountains is ambiguous in its presentation of its subjects’ emotional states, which is exactly Wang’s anticipation. He says, “Perhaps there’s a twinge of sadness buried within the scene’s joyousness, a shred of nostalgia within the tranquility, some degree of unease communicated by the fiery red colour, or perhaps some loneliness is being stifled by the brilliant sunlight... I long to use the simplest colours and the plainest language to precisely express these feelings and emotions.” There is an air of contemplation in the way the groom casts his eyes on his bride, while she, red veil in hand, seems to be drifting away, a hint of the reserve of the traditional Chinese woman in her demeanor. The relationship between the two is in a delicate state of limbo, the feeling of alienation breaking them free from the collective rural life and elevating them to the freedom of individualism today. While that A Married Woman in the Mountains serves as a classic example of Chinese rustic realism, it also remains a national allegory for the contemporary person. In the increasingly remote reality of the rural community, this imagined countryside becomes a sort of elegy to homesickness. The distance between the bride and groom becomes a gap leading towards Utopia, a symbol of the unavoidable and perpetual mourning of modern man. But upon closer examination, the viewer sees how the artist has successfully displayed the heart of traditional Chinese values and the love and mutual respect of the newlyweds upon the canvas – through the symmetrically positioned, harmonious newlyweds at the centre of the painting, the earnest husband holding his shy bride’s slender hand, looking at her with a reserved gaze, his other hand grasping an oil lamp, that itself suggests light and hope, their body language simple and understated. And the beautiful face of the bride, her eyes set resolutely far away, with her left hand holding a red veil, communicate the independence and self-sufficiency of the modern Chinese woman, whose moral integrity translates into a willingness to dedicate and devote her life to her husband and family. Whatever the future may hold, this seemingly ordinary man and wife have joined hands to begin an extraordinary life journey.
Wang’s mature realist expertise is evident in both the work’s composition and the portrayal of his subjects. Yet even beyond technique, embedded in the work are abstract life philosophies as well as profound Chinese cultural elements and national consciousness. Wang once said, “nothing is more terrifying than the feeling of a life wasted.” Tirelessly observing and learning Chinese folk painting language and aesthetic concepts, Wang has skillfully portrayed prosaic, unpretentious rural Chinese lives using stirring classical Western realist technique with his creations, adopting the quintessential features of both Chinese and Western culture and successfully creating his own distinct and unparalleled practice. Completed in 1996,A Married Woman in the Mountains is a work that embodies all of the exquisite elements of the artist’s style, solidly establishing his historical position in Chinese contemporary art history.
Contemporary Chinese Art Highlights
Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963), Family Party, 2009, Oil on canvas, 200 x 200 cm. Est. RMB 4.5 – 6.5 million / US$725,000 – 1.05 million
Appearing at auction for the first time, Liu Xiaodong’s Family Party from 2009 prompts the viewer to recall his Warm Bed No. 2 (2006), which depicts several female prostitutes in different postures, the disorderly scenery seemingly echoing their disorderly lives. Family Party, conversely, presents a warmer scene. Five young women are depicted with extremely relaxed postures, surrounded by warm color tones and soft toys. The atmosphere of the scene is akin to that of a joyous and harmonious family gathering. But, an ashtray in the foreground, the women’s revealing clothes, and their careless body language also point to something slightly less innocent. These women seem to be waiting for something, and in the scene’s warmth, there seems to be a dark ambiguity. Liu Xiaodong does not make any value judgment and leaves the viewer to interpret the painting. It is this very subtle balance between being present yet detached that reveals both human nature and the reality of life.
Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963), Family Party, signed in Chinese and dated 09, framed, oil on canvas, 200 by 200 cm.; 78 ¾ by 78 ¾ in. Estimation 4.5 – 6.5 million RMB (US$725,000 – 1.05 million). Photo: Sotheby's
Provenance: Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing
Private Collection, Europe
Mention Liu Xiaodong and one thinks of the movement known as New Generation Art. Brought under the spotlight by art critics in the early 1990s, this trend in the art world signified the end of the ’85 New Wave Movement as well as the corresponding discussions about “absolute principles,” “universal soul,” and the other lofty ideas that defined that earlier movement. Artists were eager to shift their focus from the grand questions of humanity to the current conditions of their individual lives, from the sublime of spiritual life to the prosaic goings-on of everyday life, from the gaze of a bird’s eye view to close-up observation. Precisely because of this shift, the paintings of Liu Xiaodong from the early 90s became representative of New Generation Art. Although it may appear as though Liu’s paintings use the language of realism to portray the mundane nature of daily life, in examining the subjects in his paintings – subjects who are overcome with boredom – we as the viewer not only discover the mood of the artist himself, but the atmosphere of boredom that he creates becomes the very takedown of social realism’s “typical” subjects and “typical” people. Liu’s interest lies in the exploration of life itself. He says, “I enjoy discovering scenes within ordinary life. I choose scenes that engage my curiosity.”
2004 marked a transition in the methods of creation and concepts behind Liu’s works. Deviating from his previous compositions, Liu began to place his subjects against the larger backdrop of society. During the process of this transition, painting from life began to play an important role, yet Liu’s method does not resemble traditional methods of painting from life, which were frequently done in the studio, quiet, undisturbed, facing a still life or a model. Instead, Liu frequently chooses to work in large, social settings, transforming still life into a type of action. In fact, the process by which he depicts the live scene is also the very process of his observation of social reality and of the attitudes and moods by which we exist. Liu’s objective is to present the real lives of average people within real environments. Painting from life on the one hand allows the artist to avoid the addition of grand narratives as well as the nonobjective process of “post-production”; and on the other hand, it allows the artist the most direct, authentic, and intimate way to access details. This method, however, does not obstruct the active role of the artist. On the contrary, the artist acts as agent in deciding what type of live scene to capture, what subjects to depict, these choices loyally communicating Liu’s attitudes. He says, “Through painting, I can express a perspective. And that’s all. I don’t have the right to change any of it. All I have is a perspective, I can’t do anything else. This is different from traditional painting from life – I possess a value system, a world view…I want to appear right at the scene where social problems are manifested.”
Liu’s 2009 work Family Party (Lot 13) prompts the viewer to recall Liu’s 2006 large-scale, representative piece Warm Bed No. 2, painted from life in Bangkok. In the work, Liu depicts about ten female prostitutes in different postures, the disorderly scenery seemingly pointing to their disorderly lives. Family Gathering, on the other hand, presents a warmer scene. Five young women are depicted with extremely relaxed postures, surrounded by warm colour tones and soft toys. The atmosphere of the scene is almost like that of a joyous and harmonious family gathering. But, an ashtray in the foreground, the women’s revealing clothes, and their careless body language also point to something a little less innocent. These women seem to be waiting for something, and in the scene’s warmth, there seems to be an inexplicable yet dark ambiguity. This sort of careful directness is the very representation of the artist’s position. He has frozen this image on the canvas for the viewer. Although in the process the artist does not make any value judgment and leaves the viewer to interpret the painting, it is this very subtle balance between being present yet detached that reveals both human nature and the reality of life. Also, the ambiguity in the painting dances across the slightly cold and indifferent faces of the subjects. To be able to capture these expressions while painting from life – a method that leaves little room for intentional planning – the artist must be quick in his observation, and swift and confident in his brushstrokes. Liu’s paintings are thus a testament to his excellent technique. Baudelaire in his writings on modern aesthetics once expressed his admiration for “the artist who depicted modern life.” Art critic Karen Smith has since used this title in praising Liu Xiaodong’s insight into modern life. From this perspective, Liu’s works in the 21st century have long since transcended the boundaries of New Generation Art and have taken on deeper and more far-reaching meanings.
Zhao Bandi (b. 1966), Pink Kiss, 1996, Oil on canvas, 174.7 x 80.5 cm. Est. RMB 2 – 3 million / US$322,000 – 483,000
Zhao Bandi’s works from the early 1990s are primarily dominated by classical realist oil paintings; Pink Kiss from 1996 is his memorial to history as well as the final chapter of his ‘Classical Period’. In this work, Zhao portrays the moment of a kiss shared in Tiananmen Square by a young couple whose expressions display total immersion with the atmosphere. Yet the piece diverges from that of traditional oil painting in terms of visual perspective. The couple is placed at the very periphery of the viewer’s gaze, while the pink-hued Tiananmen Square and portrait of Mao at the background emerge as the real subjects of this work. The iron fence between the couple and Tiananmen Square is suggestive of their estrangement. While the imagery appears to be realist in style, what this work contains far transcends the classical realism objective of accurate portrayal – in this way, the essence of the avant-garde.
Zhao Bandi (b. 1966), Pink Kiss, signed in Chinese, executed in 1996, framed, oil on canvas 174.7 by 80.5 cm.; 68 ¾ by 31 ¾ in. Estimation 2 – 3 million RMB (US$322,000 – 483,000). Photo: Sotheby's
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Litterature: Reality: Present and Future, '96 Chinese Contemporary Art, Sungari, Beijing, 1996, pl.13
Pink Kiss – The Final Chapter of Zhao Bandi’s “Classical Period”
Mention Zhao Bandi, and people reflexively think of the “Panda series,” an image that has been attached to Zhao since 1996, when Zhao experimented with using the panda as the subject of a series of artworks. Adopting the symbol of the panda, Zhao’s works have long since transcended the category of contemporary art and crossed over into other realms such as public service and film. The recognition that Zhao receives in association with the “Panda series” is so far-reaching that the public often forgets that, in the early 90s, Zhao emerged in the industry as a classical realist oil painter, the “Panda series” marking the end of his “classical period.” The few oil paintings of his that are in circulation today, then, are considered all the more rare. This body of Zhao’s oeuvre makes evident the artist’s possession of both self-awareness and intentionality in his creative process. The current work,Pink Kiss (Lot 6) , which was completed in 1996, undoubtedly marks a significant moment along the path of his creative exploration.
Zhao graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Oil Painting Studio No. 1 under the tutelage of Chinese realist oil painting master Jin Shangyi. The fundamentals of solid form and meticulous style were thus deeply ingrained in Zhao’s works from the very beginning. As he sees it, these are signature signs of a “classical sensibility.” Even early on, Zhao and his artwork were the focus of attention. His creations first appeared in Beijing in 1991, and although he employed classical techniques, he infused in them avant-garde elements that immediately received highly critical acclaim as well as the validation of the Western art world. In 1993, Zhao was the only Chinese realist painter to be featured in the German-sponsored Chinese Avant-Garde Exhibition Tour in Europe. At the time, Dutch curator and scholar Hans van Dijk stated that Zhao’s work “persuasively expressed the true feelings and experience of the individual, a quality lacking in Chinese art.” This type of acclaim both created opportunities for Zhao’s work to appear in international exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale, as well as brought him to the attention of an increasing number of academic institutions.
Studying Pink Kiss, it is not difficult to understand the assessment made by van Dijk. In the painting, Zhao portrays the moment of a kiss shared by a young couple before Tiananmen Square. Their expressions of total immersion and intoxication as well as the details of the composition, the brushstrokes, and physical appearance of the subjects display the artist’s rigorous academic training and simple, natural form. Yet the painting diverges from that of traditional oil painting in terms of visual perspective. The couple is placed at the very periphery of the viewer’s gaze, while the pink-hued Tiananmen Square and portrait of Mao in the background emerge as the real subjects of the work, the iron fence between the couple and Tiananmen Square suggesting further estrangement. Tiananmen Square has been an important theme in a few of Zhao’s works, and the full, white skirt worn by the young woman points to another of Zhao’s works, Butterfly, recently sold by Sotheby’s at auction. Zhao describes this series as the most representative of all his works from the 90s, explaining, “the social events of that time deeply affected and moved me. Following Butterfly, I painted two more variations. This series of three was unprecedented, and I embedded in them the sadness of my formative years.” Exactly as van Dijk noted, Zhao had infused in his paintings the true feelings of the individual, and in this lay the essence of the avant-garde. Although superficially the image appears to be realist in style, what it contains far transcends the classical realism objective of accurate portrayal, as well as the social realist tendency to use art as an ideological tool, which has been dominant since the founding of the People’s Republic. In Pink Kiss, social events of the past are transformed into metaphor and are not so much the artist’s attempt at displaying these events but rather, the pain and anguish of the artist are condensed into a memorial of the event. Compared to the desolation and hopelessness of Butterfly, however, Pink Kiss from 1996 contains more tones of tenderness and romanticism, as if it declares the artist’s liberation from sadness and marks the beginnings of the his new, somewhat joking style that we see in the “Panda series.” Since then, Zhao has not picked up a paintbrush. Pink Kiss is thus his memorial to history as well as the final chapter of his “Classical period.”
Zhou Chunya (b. 1955), Rock and Clouds, 2003, Oil on canvas, 360 x 220 cm. Est. RMB 5 – 9 million / US$805,000 – 1.45 million
Zhou Chunya integrated his two kinds of artistic experiences – of European Expressionism and traditional Chinese literati painting, to create the Mountain Rocks series. Executed in 2003, Rock and Clouds is a representative work from this renowned series. This work is experimental in its use of colour and texture: a light-brown rock's malachite-green facets remind viewers of ‘moss dots’ found in traditional Chinese landscape paintings, echoing a few bright-red highlights scattering on the canvas. The purposeful adoption of wash-heavy brushwork also adds a sense of mystery to the painting.
Zhou Chunya (b. 1955), Rock and Clouds, signed in Chinese and Pinyin, dated 2003, framed, oil on canvas, 360 by 220 cm.; 141 ¾ by 86 ¿ in. Estimation5 – 9 million RMB (US$805,000 – 1.45 million). Photo: Sotheby's
Provenance: Beijing, Poly, May 29, 2009, Lot 1269
Private Collection, Asia
Litterature: A History of Art in Twentieth-Century China, Beijing University Press, Dec 2006, p.1064
Hong Lei ed., Zhou Chunya, Timezone 8, Beijing, China, 2010, p. 447
- The First Milestone in Zhou Chunya’s Art
Based on Zhou Chunya’s extensive emotional and intellectual groundwork, theMountain Rocks series was the product of his two kinds of artistic experiences—of European Expressionism and of the traditional literati painting of his native China. With this series, Zhou discovered an artistic path at once resonant with his sensibilities and antithetical to tradition. “In this anti-rational, anti-natural attempt, I achieved something strange and magical. According to the conventional vision of orthodoxy, my works are no doubt heretical in imagery and colour, and seem less constructive than deconstructive, unproductive, or even destructive. If my paintings are valid, then according to this ‘conventional vision of orthodoxy’ my irreverent provocations must be unacceptable. This excites and pleases me… I am grateful to Expressionism and to literati painting, which gave me the reason to showcase my artistic individuality.”[1] It is not difficult to detect the influence of Mountain Rocks in Zhou Chunya’s subsequent works. For example, the two series Green Dog, with its bright-green palette and violent moods, and Peach Blossoms, with its red colours and suggestions of sexuality, were both inspired and anticipated by Mountain Rocks. After 2000, Lake Tai rocks—transfigured “mountain rocks”—began to appear in Zhou Chunya’s works, demonstrating once again the importance of the earlier series. As the artist himself has recognized, “I treasure the works in the Mountain Rocks series. In some sense, it was the first milestone for the formal distillation and thematization of culture in my painting practice.”[2] In the present sales, Rock and Clouds (Lot 10)of 2003 is from the Mountain Rocks series.
Mountains and rocks are standard subjects in Chinese literati painting, but Zhou Chunya approaches them purely out of personal interest, without regard to iconography or symbolism: “I liked how rocks look in classical literati paintings but was not satisfied with their excessive quietude and inwardness. I came up with a bombastic and risk-taking approach: to use these elegant classical images to convey violent or even sexual feelings.”[3] Before developing the Mountain Rocks series, Zhou Chunya consulted and was much inspired by the ink painter Huang Binhong’s stylistic signature of “blackness, density, thickness, and heaviness,” and paid special attention to the structure and texture of rocks. Ingeniously, Zhou mixes oil-based pigments to recreate blue, ochre, and other colours of traditional Chinese painting on a canvas. Taking full advantage of the properties of the oil medium, he replaces traditional Chinese painting’s meek understated nature and relative flatness with rich details and textures and complex, well-articulated dimensionality. At the same time, Zhou’s overlays saturated reds on classical Chinese rocks, creating a striking and haunting contrast with the quiet blue tones. Such chromatic experimentations are also in evidence in Rock and Clouds. Here a light-brown rock’s malachite-green facets evoke the “moss dots” in traditional Chinese landscapes, while bright-red highlights and purposefully wash-heavy brushwork slightly estrange the image. This ambivalence between familiarity and alienation is precisely Zhou Chunya’s intention. His rehearsal of the classical iconography of “mountain rocks” is self-sufficient as formalistic expression and needs no further explanation. But once these pre-existing visual experiences are disrupted, mountain rocks painted from a conceptual and technical standpoint become all the more shocking to the viewer.
Indeed, reviewing Zhou Chunya’s three-decade career, we see that he has always maintained an independent and sober attitude towards artistic creation. As he himself says, “Since I first began making art, I have refused to place myself into any particular genre or mode, although I did go through an exploratory period when I came under the influence of emotionalism.”[4]This “exploratory period” refers to the 1980’s, when Scar Art swept the Chinese art world and young Chinese artists infused socialist realism with humanistic passions to reflect the historical traumas of the Cultural Revolution. Then twenty-five years old, Zhou Chunya went to Tibet and createdTibetan New Generation, which won a Second Prize in the Second National Exhibition of Art. Although somewhat under the spell of Scar Art, Zhou was ultimately more concerned with his interior world and subjective emotions than with externally-directed humanistic concerns: “When I drew from life, I confronted living and breathing Nature directly. So I always created art in an impassioned state.”[5] Zhou’s distance from various artistic trends is a consequence of his self-reflectiveness. As the critic Lü Peng writes, “After a trend is over, the artists who concerned themselves with their inner worlds and personal stances stand out in sharp relief. After extended artistic explorations, he has become the artist with the most freedom and most able to express an artistic individuality.”[6]
This also explains why, when the ’85 New Wave was all the rage in China, Zhou Chunya chose to go to Germany to study at the Kassel Academy of Art. Far from home in Europe, experiencing Neo-Expressionism at its height, he was able to reflect soberly on his cultural heritage: “Between 1986 and 1989, when I studied in Germany, I visited many museums and familiarized myself with the strongest contemporary art trends in Europe. I broadened my horizons immensely and realized that artistic expression can take many different forms. I admit that my early work was influenced by the German Neo-Expressionists, but I was not satisfied with their flashy aesthetics and always felt that many of their paintings couldn’t bear prolonged viewing. I like traditional Chinese literati painting, although I also reject the contrived and pretentious elements in it. The literati’s subtle sensibilities and mystical paintings have always fascinated me. In sheer force, Chinese painters are inferior to Western ones, but we are more sensitive than they are. I realized this very early on. So in the mid-1990’s I slowly emerged from the shadow of Neo-Expressionism and wanted more and more to express my independence.”[7]
Even in Europe, Zhou Chunya remained deeply connected with literati sensibilities and was enamoured with literati painting. This was perhaps due to his upbringing in an intellectual family. His father, a literary critic, left him with a lot of books on literary and aesthetic theory and original works by Zhang Daqian, all of which nourished and made an indelible impression on his young mind. By 1989, when Zhou returned to China, its political and economic environment was already drastically different. Characteristically, Zhou distanced himself from trends like Cynical Realism and Political Pop. Instead, he began to delve into traditional Chinese painting and aesthetics in search for a cultural counterpoint and to redress his alienation from his own country during his years in Europe. “In 1989, I came back from three years of studying in Germany. Having been briefly estranged from Chinese traditions, I now felt very close to them. I plunged myself into traditional Chinese painting and began systematically to study classical literati painting. The imageries of the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty, Bada Shanren, and Dong Qichang especially interested me. This was an important turning point in my career as a painter: I decided to embark on a brand-new, completely unexpected path.”[8] The result of Zhou Chunya’s new direction was none other than the Mountain Rocks series of the early 1990’s.
[1]“Blooming Stories—Interview of Zhou Chunya”, Qi Lan, Blooming Stories, Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2007, p.13
[2]Refer to 1
[3]Refer to 1
[4]“Blooming Stories—Interview of Zhou Chunya”, Qi Lan, Blooming Stories, Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2007, p.8
[5]Liu Chun, “Concept is More Important than Craft”, Art. Life. Trend: A Dialogue with Forty One Chinese Contemporary Artists, Yunan People’s Publishing House, 2003
[6]“Zhou Chunya: 10 Person Group Chat”, New Weekly, Issue 9, 2007
[7]Refer to 6
[8]“Blooming Stories—Interview of Zhou Chunya”, Qi Lan, Blooming Stories, Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2007, p.9
SELLING EXHIBITION: MASTERS ON PAPER – FROM PICASSO TO SANYU (30 May – 1 June)
Sotheby’s will present in Beijing a special selling exhibition of graphic art and works on paper by some of the most important artists of the 20th century. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Sanyu are among the Modern Masters included in Masters on Paper – From Picasso to Sanyu, a carefully-curated assemblage on offer from 30 May to 1 June.
Prodigious printmakers and superb creators of works on paper, these celebrated figures of 20th century art relied on prints and drawings as outlets to employ different techniques to achieve images a brush could not produce. Works on paper including drawings and prints showcased in this selling exhibition express major artistic and thematic concepts, among them the artist and model, the female nude, abstraction, as well as colour and line. Conceived in ink and paint, these works on paper are imbued with as much emotion as works of other media, for they are frequently intimate, personal depictions by the artists, to whom they held great significance.
NON-SELLING EXHIBITION: HUI TONG COLLECTION OF CHINESE REALIST PAINTINGS (30 May – 1 June)
Sotheby’s exhibition of the Hui Tong Collection of Chinese Realist Paintings features 20 exemplary works selected from an important private collection based in Asia. Despite its low profile over the years, the collection is remarkable both in volume and quality, demonstrating strong and clear links between each piece especially in the area of Chinese Realist paintings – a category which enjoys a prominent position in contemporary Chinese art. The Hui Tong Collection features artworks by a group of highly accomplished Chinese Realist painters, among them Chen Yifei, Zhan Jianjun, Ai Xuan, Wang Yidong, Leng Jun, Luo Zhongli, Chen Yiming, Chen Yanning, and Li Guijun. Many of the works are highly representational of the artists’ highest achievements, having been created at the peak of their careers. These works reflect both academic and artistic excellence, making clear the classical aesthetic breadth and depth of the collection, which also includes rarely-seen masterpieces and representative early works.