Ink on paper

28.5 × 45 cm. 11 1/4 × 17 3/4 in.

LITERATURE
2014, Sanyu Catalogue Raisonné Drawings and Watercolors, Rita Wong, The Li Ching Cultural and Educational Foundation, Taipei, p.27, Plate No. D0262
PROVENANCE
Previous Collection of the family of art historian Chen Yen-Fon's friend and French writer Michel Habart
Private Collection, Asia

A Lifetime Passion for Fulsome Beauty
Taking a Stroll around Sanyu's Elegant Rhymes on Paper

Sanyu, often referred to as “China's Matisse,” was one of the most eye-catching members of the early 20th century Paris School. In 1919, he travelled to France to study art and thereafter his minimalist depictions of the human body in ink painted with a Chinese calligraphy brush created a style that earned him much praise. Moreover, Sanyu's art originated in his Asian heritage and the combination of calligraphic strokes expressing flowing lines and almost abstract minimalist brushwork highlighting the Eastern nature of freehand drawing, made his works unique in the Parisian art world. In addition, the artist's “body language” continually evolved and he always depicted women, whether nude or not, as having exaggerated small heads and large bodies, with fulsome buttocks and legs, praised by poet Hsu Chih-mo as “cosmic thighs.” In 1966, Sanyu passed away unexpectedly and left behind a treasure trove of wonderful but unknown artworks for future generations.

The autumn auction will include five outstanding works with clear provenance from the collection of the Habart family and one sketch from the collection of a private collector both from France. The different styles and focuses of these pieces introduce us to the unique soulful nature of sketches by Sanyu.

Newly Found Old Treasures and a Life Long Love: Sanyu's Sketches Collected by the Habart Family

French engineer Michel Habart was previously stationed in Morocco and became an important collector of work by Sanyu. Despite becoming an art collector relatively late in life, Habert fell in love with the art of Sanyu and after he passed away in 1987 the management of his collection was taken over by his family. When he retired in the early 1970s Habart returned to Paris where he spent his time writing, translating and appreciating art. On one occasion, he was passing by the French auction house Drouot when he saw a series of simple but exquisite sketches that took him by surprise. A friend who was with him recognized them as being by Chinese painter Sanyu and Habart immediately bought them, feeling as if he had found a priceless treasure. That purchase marked the beginning of his love affair with the artist's work. Thereafter, he spent a lot of time in the library researching Sanyu and after he passed away became acquainted with Albert Dahan, who had been a good friend of the artist and from whom he gained a lot of invaluable first hand information. In a letter Dahan wrote: “I had never before seen him paint ... it was the only time I ever saw him with a brush in his hand ... which he did to show me how Chinese hold a brush and explain that only in this way is it possible to create a more gentle effect.” This depiction of Sanyu creating Chinese style ink paintings from the 1920s to 1930s is reflected in the five works from the Habart family collection at the autumn auction. These pieces are all ink drawings and very much showcase the great sense of rhythm associated with a Chinese calligraphy brush, highlighting not only the simple refinement of Chinese aesthetics but also showcasing the abstract creative thinking of modern art, making them valuable additions to any collection.

Natural Depictions of Female Nudes in Different Poses

Among the works of Sanyu female nudes painted with a Chinese calligraphy brush are the most evocative. Indeed, the light and shade created by the brush follow the thoughts of the artist to create curved lines imbued with natural rhythm on paper. On this occasion, two of the ink drawings have a particularly unique style, highlighting the different postures of physical beauty, one standing and one in repose.

Seated Woman with Relaxed Arm (Lot 63) is a horizontal drawing composition that shows a woman sitting upright with her arm stretched out. She is shown sitting at an angle of almost 90 degrees and slightly leaning forwards, with her legs stretched out in front of her slightly bent at the knees and the left leg half elevated, in a way that resembles the undulations of a mountain range or connected arched bridges. Sanyu deliberately painted the length of the women's legs in exaggerated proportions, using the interconnection of the upper and lower lines to draw out her ample cosmic thighs which creates extraordinary tension. In addition, the woman's arms, one high the other low, create multiple levels of triangular structures, and as we move up we see the leisurely demeanour on her face, with no sign of affected bashful self-display. In this way, Sanyu used Eastern ink to highlight a free and open Western aesthetic.

Woman with Stretching Body (Lot 68) is a classic Sanyu depiction of the back of a female nude, a form sketched with fine Chinese calligraphy brush lines imbued with the spirit of calligraphy and freehand drawing. The downward moving lines are like calligraphy strokes completed in one go, the line that descends from the shoulder and arm, meeting another line to create a silhouette curve. At the legs of the figure a real stroke and virtual stroke overlap, with the ink accumulating at the points of undulation. In addition, the female figure holds her arms behind her head, boldly displaying her body in a pose that exudes self-confidence. This not only reveals the woman's appreciation of her own body, but also immerses the viewer in a reverie over those graceful curves. The piece is replete with the spirit of Eastern ink painting and the appeal of Western sketching composition, making it a wonderful work in its own right.

Perfumed Clothes and Gorgeous Hair, Fashion and Elegance

The hustle and bustle of life in the Montparnasse area of Paris provided Sanyu with even more creative possibilities. He often sat in cafes, observed people and sketched, occasionally finding inspiration in the art students around, with Seated Woman with Buckled Shoes (Lot 65) and Lady with Hat (Lot 66), two works of which he was particularly proud.

The composition of the first work is rich and perfect, showing a woman in a sitting position but no chair, her buttocks and legs formed from bold lines. The big strokes and thicker ink are seen in the woman's fulsome arms and legs, with the connected curved lines underscoring the creation of form and strengthening the posture of the figure. As the line of the skirt and calves blend and move downwards, the woman's buckled high heels are created with one wonderful stroke by the artist, highlighting the elegant fashion and taste of the avant-garde in Paris. The round buckles are made up of small circle shapes in a way that adds to the richness of the lines in the work, with a particularly eye-catching combination of straight and curved lines used to depict the female form.

In Lady with Hat Sanyu simultaneously used pencil and charcoal crayons, the thin lines giving form and focus to the calligraphic strokes, with accumulated charcoal on the inner side creating a texture imbued with the feel of Western three dimensions. This is a distinctive work that combines Eastern and Western styles and more uniquely adds an exterior charcoal crayon outline exterior to the female figure, which presents an extremely unique overall style. The woman is wearing a round felt cap that was fashionable in Paris at that time and holds a sketching pad in her hand. Her head is lifted slightly and she gazes into the distance as if focused on sketching, with the lace inner lining of her long-sleeved dress revealed and classic Mary Jane shoes. The work is enriched through the use of curved lines in multiple places to represent folds and creases in the woman's clothes, the addition of charcoal powder bringing the lines of the figure to life and showcasing a unique dynamic visual feel.

A Glimpse of a Beautiful Woman

“He showed me his work and explained that his art is about the constant pursuit of perfect lines, that he would never stop to affectation, the flowing curved lines breathing as if alive.”

―― Russian Composer Serge Tcherepnin

Woman Profile Portrait (Lot 64) demonstrates a precisely controlled composition through the most concise of lines. The woman's facial features in profile are presented almost as if drawing a square-shaped calligraphic Chinese character. We can clearly see where the artist stopped the stroke and lifted his brush, as with the process between the lines. Heavy with ink, the brush starts at the forehead and from there deftly draws forth strands of hair, with lighter ink used to craft the unbroken line of the face and create a rich three dimensional feel while imbuing the figure with refinement and intelligence.

Sanyu refined his work as a vibrant shorthand for beauty. In that sense, the work Seated Woman (Lot 67) is like Valpinçon Bather by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, which immediately brings to mind an Asian woman. The fulsome lines drawn out by the ink work create an elegant and compact depiction, while the artist used finer lines to portray the woman's headdress and the chair on which she sits, creating an unparalleled sense of charm through the juxtaposition of complexity and simplicity. When viewed with Le Violon d'Ingres by American visual artist Man Ray, it is clear that Sanyu was influenced by the photographic techniques of the time. As with the wide angle scene used to showcase the woman's plump thighs in Seated Woman with Buckled Shoes, this work also makes use of a rear view to engage in an experiment whereby the artist altered viewpoint and object distance to strengthen the spatial sense of the piece. The rearview of the woman in the painting is like jade in the moonlight, illuminating the carefree nature of beauty and highlighting the unique artistic voice of Sanyu.

Describing Sanyu as loving sketching his whole life is perhaps the most accurate description of his feelings for the genre. The artist used his dancing lines to draw attention to the diversity of romantic charm in beauty and together with his depiction of different postures creates an enduring true beauty through the composition of art that is profoundly moving.

Price estimate:
HKD: 170,000 - 270,000
USD: 21,700 - 34,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 288,000