Oil on canvas

70 × 80 cm. 27 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.

Signed in Chinese, and dated on bottom left; dated and inscribed in Chinese on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present Asian collector from the artist

The Beloved South of the Yangtze
A Scenic Depiction under the Brush of Chen Junde
Village Scenery (Lot 697), a beautiful work by Chen Junde form the seventies featured in this auction, depicts Luci Village on the bank of the Fuchun River in Zhejiang Province. It is a small village near Hangzhou renowned for its amazing mountainous scenery and the fact it served as the hometown of Fang Gan, a poet from the late Tang Dynasty. On the other side of the river are historical relics dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25−220), and the village also inspired Yuan Dynasty (1271−1368) painter Huang Gongwang to create the wonderful Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.
This work seems to be painted from the point of view of someone looking out from the roof of one of the village houses toward the green hills in the distance. The artist balances the rigid lines of the mountains with a soft mist and clouds, causing the peaks to look like they are flowing in the sky, a reminder that time never comes to a stop. Thanks to the red rocks and soil visible between the green vegetation and clouds, the flora appears even more turquoise green. The plants and the houses give off a sense of order, and the houses, compared with the ethereal mountains, seem rough and heavy, as if to show off the artist’s respect for nature. Chen transformed the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River according to his inner subjective feelings. His superb, unprecedented skills allowed him to combine the classical and the romantic, structure and color, and also nature and imagination.
A Breathtaking View from When Green Turns to Gold
In another work featured in this auction, Autumn in Mount Tianmu (Lot 698), Chen Yude neither depicted the famous cliffs and rocks of Tianmu Mountain nor the ancient temples, but he instead tried to show the beauty of autumn scenery in the countryside. Since ancient times, the Chinese have always linked autumn with loneliness and mourning, but Autumn in Mount Tianmu depicts lush trees and grasslands, reflecting the vitality of life. The painter collided reds and greens, yellows and purples, and warm and cold colors to vividly show the vibrant late autumn countryside. At the same time, the gradual change of color purity and the rich, signature mid and long-range view highlight the spatial sense of the picture. No matter whether he paints a mid-summer village, as above, or the late-autumn scenery seen here, Chen Junde utilizes the superposition of colors and smooth brushstrokes to express the beauty south of the Yangtze River as embedded in the people’s minds as well as his longing for his motherland.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 - 300,000
USD: 25,600 - 38,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 330,400