Ink and colour on paper

65 × 66 cm. 25 5/8 × 26 in.

Signed in Chinese with an artist's stamp on bottom left; signed in Chinese on upper right

LITERATURE
2002, Important Chinese Paintings from the Robert Chang Collection – Works by Seventeen Masters, Sotheby's Hong Kong Limited, Hong Kong，p.162
EXHIBITED
Jun – Dec 2002, Exhibition of Important Chinese Paintings from the Robert Chang Collection, touring exhibition in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei

PROVENANCE
Previous Collection of Robert Chang, Hong Kong
6 Apr 2010, Sotheby's Hong Kong Important Chinese Paintings from the Robert Chang Collection Auction, Lot 502
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

A Universe of Circles and Squares, Showcasing the Grandness of Life
Still Life with Fish – A Monumental Work by Lin Fengmian

Lin Fengmian was a towering presence throughout the history of 20th century modern art and from 1926-1937 served as the principal at two of China's most prestigious art institutions: National Beiping Art College and Hangzhou National Academy of Art. Lin described his objective as an art educator as being: “to introduce Western art, organize Chinese art, mediate between Chinese and Western art and create art specific to the era in which it was created” through “works imbued with character and national characteristics that reflect the times,” an idea that continues to resonate even today. In 1938, complex political factors led Lin to resign his position and he lived in seclusion in Chongqing. However, despite leaving his role as an “educator” Lin Fengmian remained an artist and it was in this period that he started to shine.

Breaking New Ground, Discovering Paradise

“It was the courageous and wise spirit of exploration Lin demonstrated in the field of academia that led to the change in his art. He was not concerned by his plight or limited by the closed environment, instead he forged his own way, continued to move forward and in so doing arrived at a completely new level of painting.”
—— Su Tianci

In the late 1930s, Lin Fengmian had already studied in France and developed a good understanding of the era from Western classicism art to modernism. As a teacher at Hangzhou National College of Art, Lin was responsible for leading teachers and students when the college was relocated to southern China due to the encroaching war. However, throughout this period he continued to explore Chinese traditional aesthetics, Dunhuang grotto murals, ceramics, stone carving, folk art woodcut New Year pictures, traditional Chinese opera etc. As a result of this background, Lin later took to researching and refining the essence of Eastern and Western art, combined with his own personal understandings and interpretation. In terms of painting, the artist blended Western forms and techniques with the national character and sentiment of Eastern art. In this way, Lin used the unique xuan paper and ink of traditional Chinese ink art as he sought to modernize Eastern painting. In late 1937, he started to embrace “square paper alignment,” a movement away from the use of horizontal or vertical compositions that dominated traditional Chinese ink painting, and copying staid old patterns. In the 60 years thereafter, Lin used the limited space provided by the square paper to craft countless compositions, using motifs that ranged from landscapes to figures and still life, as he created his own unique artistic world.

In terms of Lin's use of different motifs, art historian Lang Shao-chun observes: “Still life painting presents the achievements and characteristics of Lin Fengmian's square paper alignment landscape painting in concentrated form. He mainly used this genre in the period from the late 1940s to the 1960s and these mostly involved paintings of flower vases, potted flowers, glass vessels, cups/plates and fruit. Within these works the artist explores combinations of composition, color, line drawing and light-shade, while exploring ink and gouache, the unity of Eastern romantic charm and Western forms, and behind those forms the boundless pursuit of beauty and life vitality. Viewing these still life objects is like standing face to face with a tranquil and gorgeous ‘paradise,' a radiance replete with sentiment and love, an inner world of changing feelings, state of mind and emotion. No other Chinese artist has been able to paint a still life as richly exquisite or as imbued with psychology.” On the occasion of the autumn auction we present Lin Fengmian's highly praised Still Life Fish, which was originally part of the collection of renowned collector Robert Chang (Chang Tsung Hsien), as an unparalleled example of the artist's still life painting.

A Rare Fish Motif Still Life Painting

As Lang Shao-chun points out, most of Lin Fengmian's still life paintings focus on flower vases, vessels and fruit. Indeed, a review of published painting collections of Lin's work indicates that almost all his still life paintings are made up of combinations of these three motifs. In this context, Still Life with Fish stands out as something different and is one of only 10 still life paintings in his career in which Lin depicts fish. Two of these are part of the collections of the Guangzhou Museum of Art and Shanghai Artists Association, which serves to emphasize the rarity of this piece.

The work Still Life with Fish depicts black carp, a species of fish often seen in Chongqing at the intersection of Jialing River and the Yangzi River. The species is long, with flat sides and a distinctive large mouth. In this piece, Lin Fengmian uses simple and powerful deft ink lines to depict the exterior of the black carp, with ink dots as eyes, while his water blue and brown strokes create a three dimensional feel, which vividly brings to life the four fish depicted. The two fish in the middle are larger while the two at either side are flatter and longer, and this arrangement draws out the dramatic tension and rhythm of the scene. Through the use of blank space the little fish at the bottom of the painting is the perfect combination of a surface on which the light reflects and the light refracted by the fish scales. The four black carp are also akin to the cadence of the four tone phonology of the Chinese language or the four number correspondence of “change, shock astonishment and alarm” in the Book of Changes. In other words, the symbolism is infused with a message of prosperity and positively forging ahead, as echoed in the painting.

Magnificent Combination of East and West, Sonorous Music of Geometric Order

“Picasso gave us much experience of crashing into walls in the first half of the 20th century and we obtained many new forms. More recently, I have painted many new paintings and I think have made progress, I see a little light.”
—— a letter from Lin Fengmian to Zao Wou-Ki written in the late 1940s.

At the center of the square painting Still Life with Fish Lin Fengmian employs his experienced brushwork to depict a round table which he presents in two dimensions, the round object giving viewers a sense of strongly expanding outwards from a central point. On the table is a Song Dynasty water jug with a large belly and spout, four black carp on a dish and a plate decorated with a folk floral pattern, each item presented at a different viewing angle; eye level, 45 degree downward view and overlooking view. This combines the instantaneous multiple viewpoints of Picasso and the Cubist School, breaking with classical Chinese tradition and indicating the inspiration of Western modernism. In addition, the work is also replete with geometric shapes, such as the round eyes and mouths of the fish, the opening of the water jug, rounds plates, the round table, with a layered progression from small to large, infusing the scene with a lively dynamic. Moreover, when compared to other still life paintings by Lin Fengmian, the detailed interpretation of this piece elevates the work. For example, the artist is very attentive in his depiction of the geometric pattern on the table cloth and the color changes from aquamarine blue-green in the upper right corner to the brown-black of the lower left corner, showing the natural trajectory of light changes. Furthermore, Lin employs a very simple spatial arrangement in other still life works such as Three Fish and Flowers, whereas the background in Still Life With Fish is arranged with far more care and attention to detail. Indeed, Lin all but divides the scene with equidistant vertical lines, and then uses the regular interweaving of large red, brown and blue brushstrokes painted in a diamond pattern. Moreover, this diamond arrangement echo the fish scales, the checks on the table cloth, as well as the square xuan paper. Other than further strengthening the overlapping geometric rhythm of the space, this also brings out something similar to the decorative nature of The Lute by renowned Fauvist painter Henri Matisse. The work is complex, ingenious and diverse, but also has a unified arrangement, with not one excess brushstroke used in the creation of a piece that unifies all these different elements.

In 1930, when Lin Fengmian was teaching at Hangzhou National Academy of Art, a large number of Ding kiln Song Dynasty ceramics were unearthed at Laohe Mountain nearby. Lin fell in love with these pieces and became a keen collector. The vessel depicted in Still Life with Fish is a classically elegant Song Dynasty water jug. However, none of the objects portrayed in the painting are luxurious, they are all items seen in daily life: The water jug, the black carp caught in a river, a commonly used plate, each one exuding a down to earth feel. This in turn gives viewers a glimpse into the life of the artist who despite finding himself in straightened circumstances retained a mindset that was calm and self-adapted. The scene speaks to Lin's passion for life and art as well as his big heart. Through the presentation of this scene Lin Fengmian invites viewers into enter his “tranquil and gorgeous paradise” wherein they feel first hand its majestic, peace, calm and richness, evoking unforgettable memories.

Price estimate:
HKD: 3,500,000 - 5,000,000
USD: 449,600 - 642,300

Auction Result:
HKD: --