Oil on canvas

45×53 cm. 17 3/4×20 7/8 in.

Signed and dated in Chinese with a painted seal on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from artist's family in 1990s

A Buried Pearl amidst a Hundred Contending Schools of Thought
Fang Xuegu's Art of Quiet Beauty Debuting at Auction

In the early years of the Republic of China, with the spread of Western thinking to the East, Chinese society was becoming more and more open-minded. Shanghai, known as the "cradle of Western painting," saw the emergence of 122 art groups. Among them, the White Goose Western Painting Society, founded in 1923 by Fang Xuegu, Chen Qiucao and Pan Sitong, was an iconic research group pioneering Western painting. Later renamed the White Goose Painting Institute in 1928, the members not only pursued individual art-making, but also opened up their teaching to the general public. In the fifteen years of its existence, the group amassed a total of nearly 3,000 pupils.

Having studied under the first generation of artists who stayed in France and the "first Chinese gouache painter," Li Chaoshi, Fang Xuegu was highly accomplished in oil painting, gouache, sketching, and even caricatures. His works combine mass culture with high art, aiming to inspire the public pursuit of beauty, and were often published in mainstream publications such as Shun Pao and The Young Companion. Today, although only a few words exist about the artist, his art remains a legacy. Fang's Bird and Flowers, completed in 1924, is a rare work offered at auction for the first time. It has been in the collections of important Asian collector for decades, and is sure to be a prized possession for those who know it.

The Music of Colour

On an elegant velvet blue background, Bird and Flowers shows a round golden vase painted in firm black lines. Unlike Western still life paintings, which are heavy in light and shadow, Fang depicts his shadows in muted golden-orange, rendering the vase like a full moon in the night sky. Stretching from its mouth are red altheas and orchids, outlined in golden lines and glittering like cloisonné enamel. Althea flowers symbolise purity and peace; the pair of red and white flowers in the painting reflect each other perfectly. The orchid is a delicate and humble flower that is known as the gentleman's flower, representing noble character and elegance. On the rim of the vase are two red roses, the symbol of love, adorned by vivid green leaves.

On the brink of the table, there is a meticulously painted wooden bird, revealing the rustic spirit of folk art. Painted with thin layers of glossy oil paint , the work, like traditional Chinese lacquer painting, contains elegance in its quiet beauty, glistening determinately through history. Just like the White Goose Painting Society, which he founded and rebuilt over and over again despite seeing it destroyed repeatedly during the war, the painting demonstrates the perseverance and pursuit of the noble, aspired men of the early 20th century.

Price estimate:
HKD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 5,100 – 7,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 72,000