Ink on paper

139.5 x 35 cm. 54 7/8 x 13 3/4 in.

Inscribed and signed in Chinese with an artist's seal on upper left
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist by original collector
Private Collection, Asia

Eastern Spirit, New Language of Nature
The Ink Birds and Flowers of Ting Yinyung

For the first part of his life Ting Yinyung was a leader in the “Western Painting Movement” during the first half of the 20th Century, but after moving to Hong Kong in 1949 he embraced ink art, with its vast reach from ancient times to the present, and thereafter embarked on an extraordinary journey. Although not many people understood his work that did not dampen Ting's desire to shake off the traditional rules that informed the genre. As such, he transformed refined Eastern literati rhythms into ink works that were blunter and more direct, offering viewers the joy of love at first sight.

A Lotus Pond World Unto Itself

The ink bird and flower paintings by Ting Yinyung reflect the refinement and decisiveness of Bada Shanren (1626-1705), the untrammeled freedom of Xu Wei (1521-1593) and the simple sincerity of Jin Nong (1687-1763). The artist takes his own circumstances and places them firmly in the context of the detached world created in his paintings, while also transposing the meaning of life into imposing brushwork. His good friend Ni Yide described Ting as “simplifying complex nature.” The works Mandarin Ducks (Lot 112) and Flying Goose (Lot 113) are two of the very best examples of Ding Yanyong's bird and flower motif paintings.

At the bottom of Mandarin Ducks, Ting depicts in simple lines a couple of mandarin ducks playing on a river bank, their large round eyes and lifelike posture clearly learned from Bada Shanren. In addition, the exaggerated vertical composition he employs represents a break with the strict spatial arrangement of traditional ink painting, using the divergent changes of objects in the painting to create a dense and orderly rhythm. Moreover, the arbitrary extension of the long thin stalks in the vertical space as they reach for the heavens gives them a towering charm, while boldly leaving blank space creates a vibrant scene of lotus flowers and leaves. Ting's works runs counter to the traditional ink painting injunction that style should “reflect the shape of the object,” as he uses large brush strokes to depict the radiating internal structure of the lotus leaves and breaks through the limits imposed by the original outline to craft a powerful sense of tension. In addition, the lotus buds at the top of the picture are “bent into an arc” and appear ready to break through the confines of the painting. This presents a clear contrast with the tranquil space of the ducks at the bottom of the work and it is through this contrast of “tranquility and vigor” that the artist transports viewers to a lotus pond in a distant realm covered with summer flowers.

Magnificent Brushwork in a Confined Space

Flying Goose is an older treasure given by Ting to one of his students. In the piece, the artist presents viewers with a “close up,” one that highlights the strength and grace of a large goose in flight. He pays particular attention to the guiding function offered by the “line of sight,” compressing the distance to the left border of the painting so as to create a more far-reaching “void” in front of the goose, which ensures its view extends further into the space, almost as if heralding the bird's rapid arrival at an ideal land. This not only dovetails perfectly with the motif of the painting, it also ensures the work highlights “magnificent brushwork” in limited space. In depicting the bird, Ting Yinyung gives it clear features through simple colors. For example, the goose's red crown brings the work to life by infusing it with a dash of passionate vigor. In contrast, with just a few hues the black feathers in dry ink on the neck and tail of the bird create a spatial rhythm and a humorous stylistic language imbued with modernist rhythm, as a reproduction of the classic “western Ba Da.”

Price estimate:
HKD: 30,000 – 60,000
USD: 3,900 – 7,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 106,200