Oil on canvas

210 x 130 cm.82 5/8 x 51 1/8 in.

Signed in Pingyin and Chinese，dated ’2012’ on the reverse

LITERATURE Tian Ren He Yi Art Center，Shanghai，LUOQUANMU-BREW，2012，p.28.

EXHIBITED Hang Zhou，China，Tian Ren He Yi Art Center，LUOQUANMU：BREW，June 9-30，2012.

Luo Quanmu b. 1965

Nanjing，Luo Quanmu’s hometown，is abundant in forests. On his way to school，Luo often see beekeepers bustling about working，particularly in spring. The secluded space and bustling scenes attract Luo Quanmu deeply，which contributed to his “Beekeeper” series.

Luo Quanmu tends to prefer depicting mountain，rocks and forests. Sometimes appreciating his works is similar to watching the landscape paintings of Li Cheng and Guo Xi. It is free and depressing at the same time，expressing his pursuit for art. As he described：“Mountain rocks are between abstract and figurative imageries which can freely wander about according to one’s inner feelings. It can be added or reduced a bit anywhere without the constraint of form. The shape of mountain rocks resembles the map of soul，full of strange caves whose context is nearly paranoid.” The forests under his brushes are similar to his mountain rocks，wandering freely and voluntarily like the landscape painted by ancient people，filled with imagination.

In the “Beekeeper” by Luo Quanmu，the thriving tree branches and leaves constitute a secluded and dense forest； the dark green and reddish purple forests and the penetrating sunlight together form a mysterious sense of seclusion. Luo Quanmu continually employs the expression skills in “Butterfly Catcher” series. What’s different is，when depicting this theme，the use of green is less bright，a dark green almost like mature olives. A close examination shows hidden fuchsia colliding with the olive green，with two colors supplementing each other on the canvas，impressing the viewers. Such green color has radiance and depth that covers on the canvas like thick oil，resulting in an oily gold transparency like honey on the canvas. Luo Quanmu tactfully brings the image to a sealed state，creating a peculiar image.

The seemingly flying bees in the painting resemble silent interpreters who describe the invisible honey and the private life of beekeepers. Luo Quanmu is attracted by their murky-dark skin and coarse big hands under the broken gloves of the beekeepers，just as his obsession to workers in the factory at an earlier stage. When he observed the beekeepers in full armor working in the forest at a distance，he once thought：“They give me this feeling that they have numerous secrets. It is an unknown mystery which I could not describe nor remove.”

Price estimate:
HKD：200,000 - 300,000
USD：25,800 - 38,700

Auction Result:
HKD : 259,600