Oil on fiberboard

45 × 30.5 cm. 17 3/4 × 12 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom left
PROVENANCE
Xiong Yuying, a disciple of Ting Yinyung from Guangdong, acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Asia

Note： Xiong Yuying is a favorite disciple of Ting Yinyung. She studied painting under Ting Yinyung in the 1960s
This work is referenced in the Ting Yinyung archive of The Li-Ching Cultural and Educational Foundation, with registration number 302. It has already been brought to the notice of the editor Rita Wong before the publishing of Ting Yinyung Catalogue Raisonné: Oil Paintings by The Li-Ching Cultural and Educational Foundation in 2020. Due to the missing of a high-resolution image by that time, this work was not included within.

A Wonderful Pen Grows Flowers In the Heart
Orchid and Angelica Dahurica debuts from Ting Yinyung female disciple's 50-year oil painting collection

“Western art emphasizes form, while Eastern art emphasizes spirit. The two cannot be achieved at the same time, so I give up the form and take the spirit.”
——Ting Yinyung

In 1924, 22-year-old Ting Yinyung, with 2,500 pieces of distinguishable works from his still life oil painting series On the Dining Table, was selected for the 5th ‘Central Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition' in Tokyo, becoming the only Chinese artist among more than a hundred others who were also granted this honor, which made him a sensation among his peers. After returning from his studies, Ting actively promoted the development of modern Western art. At the same time.

A Testament of the Friendship Between Master and Apprentice: the Unique Orchid and Angelica Dahurica

Ting created less than 350 oil paintings throughout his life, and only 200 have survived the passage of time. Among them, 21 feature flowers as their subject. This auction features one example of these paintings: ‘Orchid and Angelica Dahurica'. The works are also from the collection of Xiong Yuying, Ting's first female disciple from Hong Kong. Xiong studied painting under Ting since 1962, learning and benefiting from her teacher. For 50 years, ‘Orchid and Angelica Dahurica' has been collected by Xiong and her family. Witness a story of apprenticeship, preserved through rain and storm, debuting for the first time, marking a rare and precious opportunity.

Ting's oil paintings became bolder in his later years. Made in 1971, ‘Orchid and Angelica Dahurica' originated from the peak of his oil painting art. It has vivid and concise shapes, clumsy lines, vibrant colors, and frank artistic conceptions, which demonstrated Ting's open and progressive vision, as well as his more than 40 years of experimentation with different artistic techniques. For example, the integration and penetration of oil painting, ink painting, and seal printing.

Dazzling Colors in the Reality

The title of ‘Ting-tisse' comes from the profound influence of Henri Matisse on Ting Yinyung's expression of color. During his early studies in Japan, Ting realized the colors in Matisse's works are not of an objective reproduction, but rather a subjective. The expression and liberation of these colors reflect his personality, for example in ‘Orchid and Angelica Dahurica', with the painting framed with yellow, pink, and white at the base, Ting employs the broad and powerful brush to present four orchids and sunflowers that are buoyant in full bloom, standing next to each other through the outline of branches and flowers. The weight of the lines and the arrangement of colors make the space show itself in depth. In the elegant background of the Chinese painting, the purple, green, red, yellow, and brown colors cleverly collide with each other, radiating prosperous vitality. The stamens are all decorated with the inscription yellow, with raised flower stems that guide viewers' eyes upwards, arousing an enjoyable experience for the viewers. Thus, bringing the ordinary ‘Still Life paintings' of Western art history to the composition of the ‘virtual and real' in China, making Western paint move subtly in the painting.

Dance For Contentment and Expression

In Orchid and Angelica Dahurica, the lines of the flower buds are short and rounded, supplemented by the effects of patting, blurring, and dyeing of traditional ink, presenting the abundance of flowers under a magnificent light. The elegant bluegrass flies into the sky, and the dark lines and blue and green superimpose like ink pens, complementing the stretched and upright flower stems. The staggered arrangement of the Angelic dahurica flower buds on the lower left and the characters in the signature below is very ingenious. It combines the oriental literati tradition of ‘congeniality of calligraphy-drawing'. These changing and orderly lines not only show his perfect brush skills in his later years, but they also contain a touch of wandering feelings and unwavering ambition in its smooth and unconstrained nature compared to the opposing and interweaving shapes and colors. The inherent feelings in the middle of the scenery imply the praise and blessings of Ting, regarding his disciples as outstanding.

Price estimate:
HKD: 1,300,000 - 1,800,000
USD: 167,000 - 231,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 3,000,000