Ink and color on paper

69.5 × 45 cm. 17 3/8 x 17 3/4 in.

Titled, dated and signed in Chinese with one artist’s seal on upper right
PROVENANCE
Collection of Dr. Earl Lu, Singapore
Private Collection, Asia

Brushstrokes on the Crest of a Wave
Stunning Ink Art Magnus Opus from the Collection of Dr. Earl Lu
Friends of Ting Yinyung recall that he only started painting ink art works in the 1950s and a comparison of such pieces to his oil paintings reflects how the artist’s creative state of mind was time and again deepened by movement from West to East. For example, two of the works on paper being auctioned Fanning (Lot 653) and Dragon Hovering in the Sky (Lot 654) were produced in the 1970s and come from the collection of Dr. Earl Lu, artist, philanthropist and founder of Singapore Art Museum. Lu studied painting under Ting Yinyung and Chen Wen-hsi and later became one of the most important collectors of Ting’s works. Indeed, these ink paintings are replete with Ting’s artistic semiotics and reflect the truth of his charming directness.
In Fanning, Ting Yinyung references scenes in which individuals are fanned that were common sights in Yuan Dynasty operas. The work showcases the intimate relationship between the figures depicted through the act of fanning, contrasted against the atmosphere created by the early autumn heat and sexual allusion of the piece. A major difference with the artist’s oil paintings from the same period is that the two central characters, who are naked and standing, are presented as flat and two dimensional, in a deliberate display of brushwork that is unskilled, childlike and humorous.
The work Dragon Hovering in the Sky (1977) showcases a large and imposing image rarely seen in the ink art of Ting Yinyung. At present, Ting is known to have painted only eight ink paintings with a dragon motif and as such the importance of this piece cannot be overstated. Since ancient times, the dragon has been an important totem for Chinese people, endowed with the power to command the rain and clouds. In Dragon Hovering in the Sky, the artist depicts a dragon that flies down to Earth and breaks with traditional ink painting by employing modernist open strokes. In the painting, the ink lines depict a giant dragon flying through the clouds, its body coiled and twisted, the claws on its legs pointing inwards, imbued with a powerful majesty that able to conquer mountains and rivers. The artist uses thick rough strokes together with different shades of ink to create a highly dynamic atmosphere. The body of the dragon is partly hidden by the surging clouds, creating an image that is immediately imbued with vital energy. In his inscription Ting writes: “Dragon Hovering in the Sky, Ting, autumn 1977,” contrasting picture and writing, but also embracing continuity in visual feel.

Price estimate:
HKD: 50,000 - 80,000
USD: 6,400 - 10,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 377,600