Ink and colour on paper

67 x 67 cm.26 3/8 x 26 3/8 in.

Signed in Chinese；stamped with the artist’s seal on the left side
PROVENANCE Formerly the Property of Madam Li Ai-vee, Chalet Yu-Lan Collection.
Hong Kong Christie 2008 Autumn Auctions Lot 1417;
Beijing Cheng Xuan 2011 Spring Auctions Lot 841;
Acquired from the above auction by the present owner.

Lin Fengmian
1900-1991
In modern and contemporary times, there are a lot of artists who explore the development road of Chinese painting through blending Chinese and Western arts, among them Lin Feng-Mian is the outstanding leader, and even the pioneer of the era. In fact Lin Feng-Mian’s artistic achievement is precisely reflected on that he rediscovered the vitality of Chinese painting art from the perspective of European painting. He keeps his foothold on traditional Chinese painting brush and ink, and extensively has absorbed nourishment of folk arts while absorbing expression methods of light sense, texture, color, and structure of Western painting. Through his own works, Lin Feng-Mian showed his deep and good understanding of Chinese and Western painting arts, and demonstrated the practical significance of “using scalpel of Western painting to dissect Chinese painting”. And because his pioneering, so that Chinese artists such as Zao Wou-Ki and Wu Guan-Xhong can take him as basis to use modern techniques, from the influence of Western art concepts, to completely express their personal experiences of blending Chinese and Western arts.

The present lot is quite unlike Lin Fengmian’s any other paintings of ladies, which are mostly expressive in style. In this relatively realist portrait, a modern lady sits at leisure on the sofa, her makeup, hairdo and posture clearly indicative of the time and vogue. A rare feature of this piece is the traces of painting from life in the use of just a few simple and flowing lines to form the motifs. The spontaneity of the execution demonstrates the artist’s self-confidence and virtuosity. It is interesting to note that Lin’s lines are capable of expressing feelings as in traditional Chinese painting besides defining shapes as in Western painting. In the process of developing a harmonious scheme for his art, the artist has consolidated his system of lines, given a new face to traditional brush and ink, and successfully brought his art into the modern realm. What is more, he has enlivened the painting scene with refreshingly elegant poetics. In addition to lines, the use of colour was not taken lightly either. The painting surface is carefully divided into planes of different colours to achieve balance and counterbalance in colour, density, inclination and tension.

The most heavily coloured part in the entire painting is the lady’s black hair that is tied into a bun. Around it is the checkered curtain in bluish green. Instead of a plane fully filled in flat colour, the curtain is casually painted in broken strokes to achieve interplay with the lady’s printed dress and to contrast with the light streaming through the window. Whether intense or subdued, Lin’s palette invites contemplation on his lyrical poems composed for the eyes.

The present lot is a property of Ms. Li Ai-Vee, the mistress of Chalet Yu Lan. Her mother, who was German, was a good friend of Lin Fengmian’s French wife and the two families were quite close. Formerly a painting student with Li between 1953 and 1957 before her emigration to Switzerland, Li is an important overseas collector of Lin Fengmian’s, Zhang Daqian’s and other artists’ works. The excellent provenance and the perfect condition make this masterpiece all the more invaluable.

Price estimate:
HKD：1,500,000 - 2,000,000
USD：193,500 - 258,100

Auction Result:
HKD: --