Ink and colour on paper

69 × 137 cm. 27 1/8 × 53 7/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom left
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the artist

Use the Simplest, Reach the Furthest, An Individual Journey in the Art World
The Artistic Rhythm of Yeh Shih-Chiang

Yeh Shih-Chiang was born in Guangdong in 1926. In 1950, he entered the Art Department of Taiwan Provincial Normal College and showed his artistic talent. In 1975, he fell in love with the production of the guqin, and later secluded himself in the mountains, infusing the rhythm and Zen he learned from the ancient musical instruments into painting. He was not bound by the traditional painting system. In the post-war art movement swept by Western thoughts, with his purely and spiritual personal painting style, he has taken a different artistic path.

The Hidden Art Soul and His Pursuit in the Time

Yeh did not like to publicize and sell his paintings, and he only published his works in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and some private places. Therefore, it was very hard to collect his works. Before his death, he gave all the paintings to Johnson Chang, the head of Hanart TZ Gallery. In 2015, 2016, and 2019, Hanart devoted to curating solo exhibitions for Ye. After that, his works appear at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Hong Kong Basel, and Taipei Contemporary Art Fair, attracting great attention. These enable the world to know the legendary painter and his artistic pursuit, establishing Yeh's unique position in the history of modern art.

At this auction, we present Maples and Fishing Flares (Lot 98) and Treasure Bringing Rats (Lot 97). They were bought directly from the artist and have been carefully collected for more than 13 years. Their rarity and particularity are obvious.

Painting in a Poem, Poem in a Painting

Yeh is good at using a long scroll paper to show the spiritual mood of the painting. Under the influence of traditional poetry, calligraphy, music, and painting, Yeh painted this Maples and Fishing Flares, recreating the freehand expression with the modern spirit. This is the so-called "Painting in a Poem, Poem in a Painting”. Yeh boldly divides the space into two parts, pushing the scene horizontally to an infinite width, and uses the blank space to reveal a concise yet expansive Zen flavor.

In the lower part of the painting, the leaf-like small boat was painted with calligraphy techniques, presenting a line shape combination of inheritance and transformation. Man in mino, outlined with a thin pen, is fishing silently with a thin rod in hand, showing the artist's refined grasp of the balance of lightness and weight, and the appropriate thickness. In the upper part, the verse “Lights in the fishing boats and maples along the river whisper at night.” by Tang Dynasty's poet Zhang Ji's Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night palace is inscribed. Red strokes represent pieces of maple leaves, sweeping or tapping on the paper, and creating an image of beauty. In the elegant red, light ink color hides at the end of the stroke, changing the tones gently and slightly. Life seems to be small in the magnificent universe, yet stands proudly and uniquely, echoing Yeh's artistic beliefs based on nature and mind.

With the Childlike Joy, the Mouse Brings Wealth

Another painting, Treasure Bringing Rats has a concise depiction. The oil can is outlined in one stroke, rustic and simple. The can body is in red, representing the traditional paper label. The refined details like the wore out Chinese character on the label make the scenery in the painting pretty real. We can even see a mouse climb onto the oil can, while the other is leaping forward. The moving-static and high-low perspective composition creates two clever and cute mice. After finishing the painting, the artist wrote down the witty inscription, “Mouse brings treasure; Mouse brings is wealth; Whenever there is a mouse, there is everything.” The childlike and innocent saying is a joyful attitude towards life, with the sincere blessings on prosperity and happiness. The lovely painting will not only make the viewers smile, but also enables them to sense the artist's sincere wish to share happiness and joy.

Price estimate:
HKD: 150,000 – 250,000.
USD: 19,300 – 32,200.

Auction Result:
HKD: --