Oil on canvas

63×98 cm 24 3/4×38 5/8 in

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom left； signed and dated in Chinese on reverse
PROVENANCE
Private collection， AsiaSince the 1990s， when the figurative and realistic style of Russia or the style of political pop art were dominating the contemporary Chinese paintings， Hong Ling had chosen a path that was less travelled by. He absorbed the creative inspirations from traditional Chinese paintings， innovated the style and artistic spirit that had been emphasised by ancient literati， and committed to the continuous exploration in his own creation. Therefore， most of the landscape images in his works are both reserved and magnificent， carry the beauty of traditional ink painting and offer additional experiences and meanings to the landscape spirits of the new era. Over 20 years， seasons have repeated themselves， but Hong Ling has never changed his will. He visited the Yellow Mountain to observe the sceneries and had direct spiritual inner connections with former masters in the art circle， including Shi Tao， Jian Jiang， Hong Ren， and even Huang Binhong and Zhang Daqian. The great rewards of his efforts are reflected directly or indirectly in his works.
The Hui Styled Spirit with Modern Aesthetics
The work on auction is Autumn River created in 1995， which marks the beginning of his creation style of both modern forms and traditional cultural implications right after he settled at Mount Huang. This work draws inspirations from the common style of “Travel to Brooks and Mountains”. Even though the size is not large， the work still shows a broad structure while depicting subtle details and reveals deep understandings of the traditional art. In the painting， Hong Ling pictures autumn colours on a few images， the black and white houses on the open ground surrounded by trees， a brook with small rafts on it in front of the houses， and even mountains afar with various shades of grey. The structure of the painting carries a typical traditional style. However， the painter uses oil paints to draw short lines which resembles the texturing method， applies the trees from left to right in a curve order， and creates an abstract movement in the whole painting. With the additional mild and smooth colours dominating the picture， some elements of people， senses， objects and sceneries are integrated with each other and reveal a perfect combination of people and natural creations. This painting combines the same charm as Hong Ling’s living place， a house with black tiles， white walls and Hui styled spirit with a modern aesthetic taste.

Price estimate:
HKD: 220,000 – 320,000
USD: 28,200 – 41,000

Auction Result:
HKD: --