Ink and colour on paper

120 × 90 cm. 47 1/4 × 35 3/8 in.

Signed and dated in Chinese on middle left

LITERATURE
Nov 2023, Ming Pao Monthly, Ming Pao Newspapers Limited, Hong Kong, p. 11
PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Colourful Scenery within Brushes
Shi Hu's Spiritual Paintings

"The history of contemporary art in the twentieth century has been enriched by Shi Hu's vitality and life force. His love for art is as true as his love for life."
——Artist Xu Hongquan

Born in Hebei in 1942, modern ink artist Shi Hu entered the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1960 under the tutelage of Chinese painting master Pan Tianshou. In 1978, he travelled to 13 countries in Africa to explore primitive art. This tirp prompted him to look back to ancient Chinese and folk art, which have been integrated into the bloodline of the nation. In the 1990s, Shi Hu opened up his "heavy colour painting" as his most representative style. In 1982, he held his first solo exhibition at the Nanjing Museum, which created a sensation. In the millennium, his creations had reached perfection, and he was highly acclaimed by the art world, having held major exhibitions at the National Art Museum of China in 2004 and 2013, showcasing more than 1,000 creations. He also held solo exhibitions in Hong Kong, Macao, and Jakarta.

This Spring auction will present Two Nudes (Lot 67), created in 2002, and Lady and Plum (Lot 66), created in 2015. Both of them are representative of Shi Hu's heavy colour painting style.

Red Plum with Snow, Fragrance Filling Sleeves

In the elegant Lady and Plum, the strong ink lines depicting the plum branches resembling a woman's arms, the graceful lines extending from the neck of the protagonist to the corners of her skirt, and the elegant chignon of her hair in a high updo are a testament to Shi Hu's profound lineage skills. He also boldly adopts the technique of transparency, mixing the human figure and the scene into each other. The woman's hair is like a wisp of floating clouds sweeping through the tree, lightly coloured in light brown and floating on the branches; her red dress and the surrounding red plums complement each other. The woman under Shi Hu's brush is like an elf of nature, full of mystery as if a wisp of the plum blossom's soul is hidden, cool and elegant.

Shihu's automatic technique of spraying white colours on the whole of the painting suddenly brings up a heavy snowfall. Under the snow, the woman's body is rendered in light snowy blue, reflecting a mysterious lustre. In the snow, a bit of red plum, a red dress, and the warm orange colour around the woman are like a touch of spring on the cold night, which is like a dream, like an illusion, and it is stunning.

Innovation with Tradition, Dream and Fantasy

In Two Nudes, Shi Hu expresses his love and joy for art with surging and gorgeous heavy colours. Two women, coloured in rich bronze, are lying on their sides. They look at the viewer with a carefree smile, as if they were goddesses in a folklore myth. Behind them, blue phoenixes, golden birds, white beasts and colourful flowers are clustered in silhouettes that blend with traditional Chinese art, as if to celebrate the dexterity of working women. The surface of the paintings is covered with a special mottled texture, writing the traces of time, but also leaving just the right amount of white space for the paintings, combining the virtual and the real to achieve the ultimate in balanced rhythms.

Shi Hu's art is based on the search for the roots of ancient Chinese art, which is similar to that of Picasso, who was also inspired by African art. The unrestrained simplicity of his heavy colour paintings adds a poetic touch that is uniquely oriental, a graceful, unyielding and heavenly quality, which speaks of his infinite love for art. And it is astonishing to see how he pursues it to the depths.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 – 300,000
USD: 25,500 - 38,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,080,000