Ink and colour on paper

137 × 68.5 cm. 54 × 27 in.

Titled in Chinese on upper right; signed in Chinese and dated with an artist's seal on bottom right

LITERATURE
2018, Shi Hu Collection, Chelesa Art, Hong Kong, p. 15-16
PROVENANCE
Chelesa Art, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia

Whispering Affection in the Deep Forest, Sending Lovesickness with Red Beans
Picking by Shi Hu

Shi Hu, praised as the "Picasso of China", is an outstanding inheritor and creator in the history of contemporary Chinese art. He has loved art since childhood, and in 1958, he entered the Beijing Arts and Crafts College. Due to his excellent performance, he enrolled in the Folk Art Department of Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts the following year. Shi Hu not only mastered traditional Chinese painting techniques but also extensively studied various art forms from the East and West, such as Dunhuang murals, folk paintings, ivory carving, Western cubism, and fauvism, which have all become nourishment for his creations. In 1978, he travelled to thirteen African countries for sketching and research, compiling his observations into a book. Within a short period, ten thousand copies of the book were sold out. In 1982, he held his first solo exhibition at the Nanjing Museum, shocked the art world. Subsequently, he presented solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Jakarta Museum, National Art Museum of China and Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The work Picking presented in this autumn auction was created in 1991. This year, Shi Hu embarked on his most important travelling exhibition in his career, his solo exhibition toured Beijing, Macau, Taipei, and Singapore, garnering unprecedented international acclaim. His creative skills were refined and solidified, combining his iconic "ink lines" with "vivid colours". In the delicate combination of lines and colours, he portrayed the profound and pure ancient atmosphere.

Emptiness and Substances, Gentleness with Strength

"Red beans grow in the Southern land, sprouting a few branches when spring arrives. Pick an armful of them, my friend, they are the symbols of my lovesick heart."
——Wang Wei, Lovesickness

In Picking, Shi Hu combines lifelike human figures with the ancient and mysterious textures of Chinese ancient murals, creating a unique artistic style that reveals the profound and enduring sentiment like Wang Wei's famous poem Lovesickness. Against the warm brown background, a large area of red bean branches and leaves can be seen. Through delicate pink strokes, Shi Hu meticulously outlines the details of the leaf veins, creating clouds and mists around the edges of the leaves, giving it a dreamlike and ethereal quality. Several dense red pigment dots between the leaves are depicted with abstract brushstrokes, representing the flourishing red bean fruit gently swaying in the wind. On the left and upper parts of the painting, grey mist diffuses, blurring the boundaries of time and space in the work, echoing the subtle and melodious aesthetic taste of Chinese ink painting. Splashes of red, ink, and warm yellow colours are scattered throughout the painting, employing the drip technique is reminiscent of abstract expressionist master Jackson Pollock, adding a touch of dynamic energy to the artwork. The fusion of various techniques and elements showcases the traces of the flow of time and continuous energy, filling the painting with a sense of spirituality and transcendence.

Amidst the dense and speckled forest, the faint outlines of two women can be vaguely seen. On the left, a young maiden mysteriously reveals half of her plump and lush face behind the foliage. Her affectionate gaze is captivating, and her red lips echo the radiant red beans on the branches. She looks ahead, seemingly immersed in deep longing for a distant lover. On the right, the woman's face is hidden, only showcasing her graceful and full figure from the back. The young girl collects red beans in the forest, using a token symbolizing "lovesickness" in traditional Chinese culture to express delicate emotions that are difficult to put into words. Their graceful bodies are faintly visible behind the snowy white branches, while the bronze-coloured shadows and pale highlights uniquely shape the women, giving them a three-dimensional feel reminiscent of Western perspective. Shi Hu presents the classical beauty of Western ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and Renaissance oil paintings through Chinese ink and paper, evoking a sense of ancient and everlasting.

Price estimate:
HKD 120,000 – 220,000
USD 15,400 – 28,200