Oil on canvas

65 × 80 cm. 23 5/8 x 31 1/2 in.

Signed in pinyin on bottom right; signed and titled in Chinese, dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by an important Asian collector from the artist
Holiness in Humility
Ding Fang’s Ode to the Highlands
As one of the leading figures of China’s “85 Movement”, Ding Fang creates art as a means of sharing his profound existential musings on themes such as national history and intellectual civilization. Since the mid-1980s, a new element — light — has played a prominent role in Ding Fang’s artworks. Rather than a natural occurrence, this light is a sacred presence that connects those who bask in it to the spiritual realm.
A Spiritual Exploration of Civilization
It was in his work from 1986, City Series No. 1 (Lot 744), that Ding Fang developed his unique approach to addressing cultural issues in his artworks. The first work sets the overall tone for the entire series. One of its defining elements, the city wall, reflects an important milestone in the development of civilization. Ding Fang has depicted the spots and lines that wind and sand have etched into the face of the wall as a reminder of the inexorability of progress. In the middle of the work, a lone man wanders along the outskirts of the city; from his head emanates a ring of light that, although faint, illuminates the wall like a lantern. This light symbolizes the wanderer’s exploration of the “soul” of history. By casting light on the earth, he shares with us new insights into the past.
The Sacred Secularity of Peasants
The life of peasants in the ochre highlands of rural China is another important source of inspiration for Ding Fang. In his painting The Girl Sewing Cloth Soles of Shoes (Lot 743), a halo of light appears around a homely peasant laborer whose industrious hands bring to mind classical notions of holiness. The scene is depicted slightly from above, giving a complete view of her living environment, which appears sealed off from the outer world but does not seem to dampen her respect for the highlands. In other words, the subject embodies the virtue of reverence for nature. The seamstress’s halo also reflects Ding Fang’s admiration for diligence and perseverance — two of the defining cultural values of the Chinese people and which the artist thought were present within the working class. The haloes in Ding Fang’s artworks not only serve to venerate workers; they also symbolize his never-ending pursuit of new forms of artistic expression.

Price estimate:
HKD: 100,000 - 150,000
USD: 12,800 - 19,200

Auction Result:
HKD: --