Ink and colour on paper

70 x 45.5 cm. 27 1/2 x 17 7/8 in.

Inscribed and signed in Chinese with one artist's seal on upper left
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia


Simple is Beautiful Cultural 'Ink Play'
The Colourful Heroesof Ting Yinyung

In the 20th Century, the traditional art world underwent a transformation that embraced the forward-looking vision of “mediating East and West,” while also developing a new language based on tradition. Ting Yinyung was active in the area south of the Nanling Mountains (covering the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan as well as modern northern Vietnam) and created an independent style based on literati painting and calligraphy. In 1921, Ting passed the entrance exam to the Western Painting Department at Tokyo Fine Arts School where he combined the colors of the Impressionist School with Eastern freehand tradition, thereby establishing a foundation for his future ink figure paintings. After returning to China, the artist researched traditional painting and started to incorporate the lines and ink rhythms of Bada Shanren's works focused on spiritual expression into modern Western art structures, as he developed his own distinctive style of “object pictograms and ideas as images.” In 1949, after moving to Hong Kong, the focus of Ting's creative work shifted from oil painting to ink art as he actively explored the spiritual connection between literati painting and modern Western painting, sharing with the international art world the exquisite artistic language to which this gave rise.

The Image Beauty of 'Divine Brushwork'

Ting Yinyung's early ink figures were influenced by Guan Liang , as evident in his use of colored ink, handmade paper, distorted human figures, as well as free and appealing brushwork. He also strengthened the rhythm of lines and vigor of colors originally derived from the aesthetics of the Fauvist school. This “divine brushwork” combines the freehand tradition developed in the Ming and Qing dynasties with the expressiveness of modern painting into an integrated whole, one that enables him to give traditional folk stories, historical figures and themes a brand new modern feel. The three colored ink paintings on offer at the current auction were painted by Ting in the late 1970s and are paradigms of his approach to historical figures and motifs, a crystallization of his lifelong knowledge of the art world and achievements.

Heroic Style of 'Simple Strokes and Profound Meaning'

One of the representative figures depicted by Ting is “God of Justice” Zhong Kui. These portrayals also reveal the artist's explorations of linear tradition and introduction of innovations. For example, in The Chinese Ghost Buster (Lot 18) he adopts a layout that runs counter to traditional ink painting, using a “towering upright” composition focused on a single figure, an approach rarely seen in other works from the series.

Zhong Kui's angry, wide-open, round eyes are the focal point of the painting and this vivid expression and rightward movement directs the viewer beyond the painting, almost as an allusion to a hidden story. His unkempt beard creates a high sense of drama, showcasing the bold and unconstrained nature of the “General of driving out evil.” Whereas Ting portrays the face in detail, he uses big broad strokes to depict the outline of the body, creating a clear contrast, as with Zhong Kui trying to “place a little demon in a bag,” which speaks to a visual effect based on a double meaning. Moreover, during this period the artist also sought to differentiate between his work and the ink paintings of the many artists he frequently saw and he achieved this by showcasing grand scenes with a unique feel and a single main figure.

Another work that has the same motif is Zhong Kui Giving His Sister Away (Lot 17). In this painting, the king of demons commands the center of the painting and is surrounded by other figures. These are in close proximity in the confines of a boat that follows the painted lines of waves in a downwards trajectory, a richly magnificent portrayal that combines the best of Eastern and Western ink brushwork and composition to create a vibrant scene. In the evolution of traditional depictions of Zhong Kui giving away his sister, the sister is generally shown as a coy and beautiful figure by his side, whereas in this painting her hands are aloft, she is leaning on Zhong Kui's arm and has the resolute appearance of a modern independent woman, perhaps a reflection of the artist's desire to challenge the old feudal system in which women had no freedom to choose who they married. In addition, Ting deliberately highlights the huge size of Zhong Kui, the shrunken form of the little demon and the beauty of the female character, ingeniously differentiating the different positions of human, demon and deity in traditional thinking, while constructing a humorous, appealing and exciting world of legends.

'Return to Child-like Innocence' in a World of Harmony

Where Ting Yinyung's work differs from paintings on the same motif is in his preference for realist depictions. In the work Drunken Liu Ling (Lot 16) the artist uses red and yellow to distinguish the two figures, highlighting his embrace of color expression after moving to Hong Kong. In this way, Ting boldly dresses Liu's wife in pink, an indication of her exhortations for him to stop drinking. In contrast, Liu Ling has a yellow cape draped over his shoulders as he quaffs wine to his heart's content, bare stomach exposed, in the spirit of “enjoying life to the full.” The artist also deliberately paints the main figure's clothing and food on the plate the same color, with the head of the chicken turned to look at the wine flagon, pointedly connecting Liu to the offering. This not only showcases Ting's sarcastic playfulness, it also draws attention to Liu's profound sense of helplessness at being unable to do anything about the prevailing condition of society, resulting in him drinking all day in pursuit of oblivion. It also alludes to the artist's ridicule of himself being born into the wrong time. In this context, a sense of “hopelessness or depression” is no longer represented by an image of dejection but rather exquisite brushwork used to showcase new meaning through the collision of a traditional motif and Western vocabulary.

At the same time as the simple colors are used to map out the character of the figures in the painting they also highlight their outlines. In similar fashion, the classical “spoon shaped” hair comprised of thick brushstrokes, the simple strokes of the cape that appears to be about to fall to the ground, the hasty brush strokes, the weight of upwards and downwards strokes and the varying thicknesses of the ink, allow Ting to paint ink figures that are exactly what viewers see. This simple and strong style effectively established a “new artistic paradigm,” one that forged an artistic vision combining East and West and in so doing showcased the beauty of unadorned but powerful Eastern imagery.

Price estimate:
HKD: 50,000 – 100,000
USD: 6,500 – 12,900

Auction Result:
HKD: 94,400