Ink on paper

43.5 x 26.5 cm. 17 1/8 x 10 1/2 in.

Signed in English and Chinese and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
2014, Sanyu Catalogue Raisonné Drawings and Watercolours, Rita Wong, The Li Ching Cultural and Educational Foundation, Taipei, Plate No. D2232
2016, Sanyu, Galerie Diane de Polignac, Paris, p.40-41
EXHIBITED
25 Jan – 25 Mar 2016, Sanyu, Galerie Diane de Polignac, Paris

PROVENANCE
Galerie Diane de Polignac, Paris
Private Collection, Asia

Elegance in the Gifted Brushwork
The Charm of Ink and Watercolour by Sanyu

While the Chinese art community still considered hiring naked female models a taboo in the early 1920s, Sanyu settled down in France in 1921, where he enjoyed the free air of Académie de la Grande Chaumière and found out the areas to which he dedicated himself lifelong. The 1920s and 1930s were the most productive and aspirant period in Sanyu's artistic career. He went both deep and wide in the experiments with painting supplies and techniques, including pencil, brush, charcoal pencil and watercolour. He leveraged the diverse toolkit to portray characters with either exaggerated or minimalist features. He was well-versed in synthesizing ink and watercolour, substantiating the neat ink lines with Western water-based pigments. In this auction, we present Recling Woman in Green Robe (Lot 31), Seated Woman in Green Robe (Lot 30) and Seated Women (Lot 29). Created in the early days of Sanyu's residence in France, the three masterpieces present the interesting chemistry between Chinese aesthetics and Western elements.

Precious Watercolor: The Association Of Cosmic Thighs In Terms Of Landscape Painting

Reclining Woman in Green Robe picked the classic reclining posture in western painting, and adopts long horizontal composition to depict the grace of Sanyu's “landscape painting of the human body”. In the picture, Kiki is wearing a green silk robe with her bending legs, resembling what Xu Zhimo referred to as “Cosmic Thighs”. Her hands are crossed over her head, which is leaning on a pillow. The thighs are the focus of the painting, extending the visual senses by adopting exaggerated body proportion. The curves are smooth yet decided, intensifying the overlapping and traversing effect of the thighs' lines, forming a unique spatial dimension. From the thighs to torso, then down to the elbow, fluent curves demonstrate dynamic rhythm, leading the viewers' focus. The fluctuation is similar to the rolling hills, which triggers the abstract imagination of the audience and highlights the fascinating body shape of the woman. Compare to Reclining Nude with Loose Hair by Amedeo Modigliani in 1917, despite identical bending legs and supine position, the composition of this artwork has more delicacy in its scattered landscape mimic. The lines are lively like the silk produced by silkworm, flowing freely and embedded with confidence.

Beyond the composition and lines, the watercolour covered on the frame makes the temperament of the character come to life. Light pink emphasizes her fuller figure and clear skin. The heroine is wearing a bright green robe, underlining her pink body shape. Green colour flows together with the brushes while illustrating the tension of physical curves. Negative spaces are also left during the creation, unveiling the transparency of watercolour. The composition that perfectly fits the landscape painting of the human body gives birth to the breathe-like rhythm of the lines in the space, that touches the hearts of everyone.

Paris Fashion: Watercolour with Unparalleled Brilliance

The artist's venture into watercolour marked his career height of integrating Western elements with Chinese art context. Reclining Woman in Green Robe and Seated Woman in Green Robe are such perfect examples. They were originally in the hands of Parisian collector Nieszawer-Princ. The rarity was self-explanatory as they are of the only four paintings with green-dressed woman in his 221-piece watercolour portfolio with a clear record of transfer.

The alluring short hair and gorgeous makeup give away the identity of the lady: the legendary Parisian model Kiki de Montparnasse. In Seated Woman in Green Robe, she is dressed in a stylish green robe and sharp tip leather shoes. Her seductive, naked upper body and laidback posture may remind the viewer of the fluid-looking subject in Purple Robe and Anemones by Henri Matisse.

Sanyu outlined the lady with ink strokes and portrayed the parts below the shoulders by working the brush in a curvy manner to achieve a dynamic pose. In contrast, the strokes around the legs are neat and full of vigour. The artist powdered her face with pink foundation to bring her provocative complexion to life with minimum input, and the bright-coloured cheeks complement Kiki's flamboyant personality. Sanyu boldly presented the half-naked lady with the sharp contrast of green and red. The green gradient and curvy clothing create a dynamic visual rhythm, while the model's body, lips, cheeks and breasts are in pink tone. Its bright colours in full saturation are in line with the spirit of fauvism and expressionism on one hand. On the other, the undemonstrative posture and the interplay of red and green inject a touch of Chinese ethnicity to the piece, making it mysteriously attractive with subdued elegance.

A Well-paced Journey of Ink Lines

Sanyu in his childhood days studied calligraphy under the tutelage of renowned calligrapher Zhao Xi. He took his perceptive insights of this traditional writing technique to France and instilled them into well-shaped, neat lines in his sketches. His mastery of brushwork helped render the subjects visually straightforward to grasp. Finished in 1930, Seated Women exemplifies his deliberation on brushwork and mastery of ink techniques. It was once included in the artist's solo exhibition curated by Gallery Diane de Polignac in Paris in 2016. The public appearance adds to its rarity given the uncommon presence of his sketches in exhibition.

As a pure brush painting, the alternating dry and wet ink strokes add to the contrast of the subject and make body curve more fluid and eye-catching. The strokes are all finished in one go without any sign of hesitation or awkward disruption in the middle. This technique explains the gradual fading and drying of the outline and shows the well-paced journey of the brush on canvas. This piece also stands out from other sketches of naked woman with its fine-grained details. The striped top agrees with the girl's body curve. The collars, the pointed toe heels and the skirt imply the lady is a Parisian. A light of softness and shyness comes into her eyes behind the bangs. The lady puts one hand on her chest as if she has concealed something that is ought to be revealed. Her body language and rich feelings are portrayed vividly inside-out.

Against the “Flaming Era” in Paris, Sanyu dedicated himself to merging elegant inkwork with brilliant oil paint, and the vivid characters on his canvases incarnate his synthesis effort and leave the world impressed by their exceptional qualities for generations.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 – 300,000
USD: 25,800 – 38,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 259,600