Oil on board

16.2x22.2cm 6 3/8×8 3/4 in

PROVENANCE
Important private collection， Shanghai
Oct 2004， Sotheby’s Hong Kong Auction， Lot 317
Private collection， AsiaPan Yuliang’s paintings rarely contained animal-based themes， with such pieces not numbering more than forty. Horses， cats， pigs， horses， penguins， and cows have all appeared in her art， but cattle was special among them in meaning， with her eldest son， Pan Mou， known as the “little cattle”. Each cow-centered painting would be formed with practically palpable motherly emotion and sometimes even homesickness for the artist’s native land of China. Affection， her first painting ever to feature such a theme， was finished in 1921 and depicted three cows grazing a field. By the time the work was completed， the artist was already studying abroad in France. The piece was a product of the artist’s homesickness， and she sent it back to Shanghai to give to Pan Zanhua as a means of expressing how she was always with her family members in spirit， no matter how far away she might have been. The work now put up for auction， Cows was later completed in the early 1940s during the artist’s second main journey to France.
Historically speaking， Paris was under occupation by Germany at that time， and tension was high in the air. One day， the artist was taking shelter in the capital’s suburbs and observed a herd of cattle grazing in the forest. This particular scene made her think about her loved ones in China. She did not have much money then， so she drew the scene on a small sketchboard. Despite its small size， her use of space and depiction of the subjects was anything but splendid. The painting has three distinct views： two large cows occupying the foreground with a smaller one in the middleground， all three with their heads to the ground， the tree-lined background in the distance. The sophisticated and precise brushstrokes used to shape the animals’ bodies make them appear full and strong， and angles of light and chines are made all the clearer through slight changes in tone and brightness. The three animals are surrounded by mountains， without a care in the world， free of strife. Through the use of her brush， Pan Yuliang was able to create a reunion with her overseas family on paper. In the painting there is no war， no rumor， just pure and unadulterated tranquility， freedom， and ease. This is a reflection of the utopian ideal that rests within her soul， a profundity beyond any shallow interpretation of a mere image.

Price estimate:
HKD: 300,000 – 500,000
USD: 38,500 – 64,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 354,000