Ink on paper

137 x 33.5 cm. 53 7/8 x 13 1/4

Dated and signed in Chinese with two artist's seals on upper left
PROVENANCE
Original Collection of Dr. Earl Lu, Singapore
Private Collection, Asia

The Spirit of Ink Painting: Character of a Nation
The Ink Art of Ting Yinyung

Ting Yinyung was a reformist painter who had a profound and lasting influence on 20th Century Chinese art by combining the powerful colors of the Western Fauvist School of painting and the strong lines of Chinese painting, while identifying his own national identity through the “New Art Paradigm” of Bada Shanren. Ting infused his paintings with Eastern philosophy and was the first Chinese painter to simultaneously focus on oil painting and Chinese painting in a century.

'Lotus' - Principled, Pure and Untainted
Ting painted Louts (Lot 74) in 1945, the same year as victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War. In this auctioned work, the artist crafts a poetic scene focused on a blooming white lotus flower aloof from the world. This important symbol of unsullied nobility in Asian culture alludes to the importance of always adhering to the principles of national spirit. The thicker and heavier lotus leaves in the lower part of the painting not only highlight the independent quality of the higher flowers they also speak to the vibrant life energy of summer lotuses. Ting Yinyung uses firm brush strokes and lines to depict the slender but resilient stem of the lotus flowers, using ink spots to draw attention to their vivid style, as the longitudinal sense of rhythm ingeniously echoes the visual appeal of a vertical scroll and interprets the inner rhythm of the flower. This painting was originally part of the collection of Dr. Earl Lu, philanthropist and founder of the Singapore Art Museum. Lu once learned painting from Ting and Chen Wen-hsi, later becoming one of the most important collectors of Ting's art.

'Scroll of Flowers and Birds' - Rare Long Scroll Embracing the Vastness of Heaven and Earth
Scroll of Flowers and Birds (Lot 75) was completed in 1965 and is a traditional Chinese painting in the form of a hand scroll, a rare format for ink paintings by Ting Yinyung. The piece is more than 4 meters in length, with fewer than 30 longer scroll works in private and public collections on the market, an indication of its rarity and value.

Vibrant Brush Work Replete with Appeal and Charm
The scroll is a sublime mixture of poetry and painting, with minimal brushwork and a profundity that draws the viewer into the work as it is unraveled. For example, the blooming flowers and chicks looking for food around the hibiscus tree motif create a wonderful contrast. The flower stems are upright and tall, with buds that are ready to burst into bloom and a grasshopper next to them its head stooped, chirping to its heart's content. The beautiful flowing inscription follows closely the natural grace of the leaves, the unrestrained bamboo and calligraphy bringing out the best in each other. The leisurely swimming fish, crabs, shrimp and frogs are all different shapes, a testament to Ting's powers of observation. A small bird stands on a branch and a cat lies on a rock quietly watching, imbuing the scene with an intriguing narrative back and forth. Through these twists and turns of images and writing, Ting weaves the scenes together into a single work and through these vignettes showcases changes in the thickness of ink, demonstrating his masterful skill at blending artistic skill and individual feelings.

Ting Yinyung also employs the “White as Black” method to give the painting a geometric layout. In addition, the inscription to the side not only points out the spiritual quality of such motifs as bunch-flowered daffodils and hibiscus trees, but also uses them to express the detached magnanimity of the artist's state of mind, while showcasing exquisite calligraphic skill. Ting takes advantage of the simple and flowing composition of the work to imbue the painting with the essential essence of traditional ink painting. Although the brushstroke line depictions appear random and haphazard, they also contain the dryness and thickness of ink as well as a rich array of changes in compactness. As a result, several of the appealing collections of motifs on the long scroll are imbued with the minimalist charm of Bada Shanren, displaying a righteous heart that embraces Heaven and Earth.

Price estimate:
HKD: 60,000 – 100,000
USD: 7,700 – 12,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 70,800