Ink on paper

136 × 69 cm. 53 1/2 × 27 1/8 in.

Inscribed, dated and signed in Chinese with an artist's stamp on the right
PROVENANCE
7 Apr 2015, China Guardian Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 171
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

The Brush of Wonder
Wang Jiyuan's Divine Mystery of Earth

Wang Jiyuan, who was the head of the Western Painting Department of the Shanghai Art Institute for 12 years, is a well-known Chinese artist of the last century. In 1932, as a stalwart of the Chinese avant-garde art movement, he organized the “ Torrents Society “. As a mentor of Pan Yuliang, a friend of Sanyu and Chang Dai-chien, Wang Jiyuan was a celebrity in the art world. In 1941, he moved to New York and founded the School of Chinese Brushwork to teach ink painting and calligraphy, where he nurtured numerous talents and worked tirelessly.

Fish and Rock is one of Wang Jiyuan's most sought-after landscape-themed masterpieces of the American era. Inheriting the Chinese ink tradition of vertical composition, the painting contrasts two rocks on the lake, one distant and one close, one long and one flat. The distant rock stands tall, like a cavern of stalactites, demonstrating nature's magic work. The nearer rock is crouched low on the water surface, and the rippling water waves around it. The artist used different wet and dry ink brush strokes to express the jaggedness of the rocks, making this work distinctive. The fish leaping out of the lake dancing between the rocks and the water, adding a dynamic interest to the painting. The strokes of “Fish and Rocks” are simple and lively, and the painting is a mixture of movement and stillness, with more emphasis on realism to achieve a sense that carries both the appearance and spirit.

Price estimate:
HKD: 60,000 - 100,000
USD: 7,600 - 12,700

Auction Result:
HKD: --