Oil on canvas

100 x 80 cm. 39 3/8 x 31 1/2 in.

Signed in Pinyin and Chinese, dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
2006, The Chinese Contemporary Distinguished Oil Painter: Wang Yidong, People's Art Publishing House, Beijing, p.44
PROVENANCE
Schoeni Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, United Kingdom

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Schoeni Gallery, Hong Kong

Note: A label from Hong Kong Schoeni Gallery is affixed on the reverse

Early Bloomers in Spring
The Time-tested Eastern Aesthetics ——An Iconic Portrait by Wang Yidong

The 1980s marks the rise of realist paintings in China. The newly opened up country started to embrace the views and values from the West, while then Chinese oil painters were all working to establish the benchmarks of Eastern aesthetics. Graduating from Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1982, Wang Yidong is adept at translating his deep attachment to his hometown Yimeng area into red elements in his paintings. He sides away from the theme of heroic patriotism and rather leverages the auspicious red color to instill hopes into his works. The subjects dressed in red in his paintings come off as lovely and innocent and appeal to a large following that regards red as a standing code for Chinese aesthetics.

An Ultimate Synthesis of Western Classics and Eastern Aesthetics

After his college graduation, Wang has since adopted classic techniques from the West while selecting Chinese elements as the subject matter. He is also committed to realist portrait paintings and draws inspirations from Raphael and Rembrandt to activate the interaction of shadow and light. In 1987, he headed for New York where he was exposed to the masterpieces at top-tier art museums by leading Renaissance painters, such as Jan van Eyck and Hans Holbein der Jüngere. The immersive experience has prompted him to make up his mind to refine his realist techniques and helped him cultivate the ambition to marry Western Classicism with Chinese traditional aesthetics.

Wang's portfolio of figurative paintings, which has localized the spirit of Romanticism, reached its full height in the 1990s. The Bride and Wedding series, teeming with red elements, smashed one record after another in the market. Early Spring finished in 1995 is his most iconic and celebrated portrait and a perfect embodiment of the time-honored Eastern aesthetics.

The Charm of Eastern Mona Lisa

Early Spring stands out in terms of its artistic language with its synthesis of traditional aesthetic elements and the techniques deployed in Western classical portraits, including the lighting practice. In this painting, a beam of light is cast down on the girl's face against a dark background. It brings out the hair luster and focuses on her lucid eyes and appealing smile. The light eventually rests on her smooth and clear forehead to highlight her spiritual purity. All and every aspect of the painting reveal striking similarities with the most famous portrait Mona Lisa during the Renaissance, such as the light effect, the depth of field and the girl's posture and smile. Leonardo Da Vinci initiated the sfumato technique to create luminescence that makes the lady's face appear to glow. Her mesmerizing smile has thus become the most prominent icon of Western portraits. Wang may be inspired by Da Vinci and also works in the half-length style to present the subject, but he adds a unique Chinese feeling to the painting with large areas of red. “The Eastern Mona Lisa” arrests the eyes of the viewer with the heavy contrast of light and shadow and of red and black. The red cotton-padded jacket and hair bands complement her pink cheeks and set her complexion off to advantage.

Girl in Full Bloom

Despite the title, the artist does not locate the settings outdoors but rather portrays the red jacket as an embodiment of early bloomers to celebrate the hope of spring. Wang is also dedicated to details. The embroidered cuffs, the floral hair bands and in particular the posters with floral patterns on the walls all drop a broad hint that people are getting ready for the upcoming spring and celebrating the Chinese New Year. These peripheral elements add to the context of the girl's smile, chanting the festivity and the anticipation for the future. Traditional elements penetrate every crack and crevice of the painting, including the subject, the settings and the implications. Wang has absorbed the essence of Western figurative portraits and morphs it into one with Chinese characteristics. Wang overloads the painting with red elements to highlight the golden heart of the girl, who resonates with Chinese viewers by taking them back to the good old days.

Price estimate:
HKD: 1,600,000 – 2,500,000
USD: 206,500 – 322,600

Auction Result:
HKD: 2,714,000