Oil on canvas

48.5 × 59.5 cm. 19 1/8 × 23 3/8 in.

Signed in Chinese on bottom left; signed in Chinese and dated on the reverse

LITERATURE
2001, A Collection of Paintings by Hu Shanyu, China Academy of Art Publishing House, Beijing, Plate No.64
PROVENANCE
13 May 2007, China Guardian Spring Auction, Lot 12
Acquired directly by present Asian collector from the above

Alluring Peony Flowers Bathes in the Spring Breeze
Hu Shanyu's Celebration of Life

Hu Shanyu was a pupil of the renowned artists Lin Fengmian and Cai Weilian in 1929. He then travelled to France and trained under the remarkable realism artist Lucien Simon. Soon after, he completed his education from The École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and graduated with exceptional grades. Upon his return to China, Hu became fully devoted to creating and teaching fine arts. His works were archived in The National Art Museum of China, The Shanghai Art Museum, The Nanjing Art Museum and other Institutes, thus leading him to be one of the artists with the most collections at museums in China.

Hu's artistic style is classic, modest, and meticulously portrays in fine details. Close to the impressionism stylistic approach, he blends Western art media with oriental aesthetics and creates a unique expression of “Occidental model with Oriental essence”. In The Season of Blossoming Peony Hu employs wide-angle composition. As he sketches the almost impenetrable dense thicket, he adds vibrant colors to the scenery with Chinese point-projection perspective technique, cultivating an optical sensation of complex colors and intricate graphics. The gentle transitioning colours reveal the nuanced transformations of living things, producing a refreshing visual effect. Hu incorporates pink, white, and purple flower petals at the front of the painting by applying a variation of thin and thick textures, scattering the colours in the anterior of the thicket and animating the plants as portrayed.

The Season of Blossoming Peony is produced during Hu's 75th year of age. The two trails located on the right and left sides of the painting features a crowd of people comprised of couples. Hu uses rich and striking colours of dark blue, chrome yellow, emerald, and scarlet to emphasize the clothings of the people. They indulge in the spectacular scenery without realizing their vibrant clothings are harmoniously married into the palette of the garden, which simultaneously adds an elevating finishing touch to the artwork. The scenery of the artwork is stimulating and dream-like, but also agreeably familiar. It is the perfect representation of Hu's devotion to the arts and his passion for life, which he continuously contributes to the industry despite his old age. His artworks everlastingly prevails.

Price estimate:
HKD: 180,000 - 380,000
USD: 23,100 - 48,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 216,000