Ink and colour on paper

73.5×142.6 cm. 29×56 1/8 in.

Stamped with an artist seal on upper left; signed in Chinese, dated and stamped with two artist's seals on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the artist

Exquisite Brushwork, Brilliant Stars
First Presentation of Shi Hu's Magnificent Group Portraits

Shi Hu pioneered the art world with his full-spirited "divine perception" paintings. He taught at the Beijing College of Art and Design since 1968 and devoted himself to exploring the treasures of Chinese folk art. This led him to study ivory carving, lacquer art and other intangible cultural heritage. In 1978, he travelled to Africa as a Chinese representative and later compiled his insights into a book entitled Sketches of Africa, which became sensational. In the 1980s, when the world was swept over by pop art, Shi Hu took root firmly in Chinese culture and kept innovating, making his artistic style unique and all-encompassing at the same time.

The colourful group portrait was Shi Hu's favourite theme, and this is also the theme that Chinese and overseas collectors sought after. The top 5 of his auction records worldwide are of this genre. This auction presents two group portraits, an oil painting titled Eight Immortals (Lot 71) and an ink painting titled Beautiful Day (Lot 70), both of which were completed at the height of Shi Hu's career in the 1990s. During this period, Shi Hu launched the most important touring exhibition of his career, Ordained, which travelled to Beijing, Macau, Taipei and Singapore. While he was receiving high international recognition and acclaim, his works also reached the stage of pure perfection. These two magnificent works incorporate Shi Hu's most iconic artistic vocabularies.

Painting With Divine Hand Depicting Grand and Majestic Worldly Beings

Eight Immortals is based on the classic Chinese legend of "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea." Above the surging waves, the eight Daoist deities hold their magic instruments, displaying their powers. Surrounding them are auspicious symbols, including cranes, golden rocks, and heavenly clouds. As if the figures have descended from the heavenly palace in the sky, the scene is grand and majestic.

The colours Shi Hu employs in this work are vermilion, ochre and indigo, which are commonly used in traditional Chinese paintings, resembling the ancient wall paintings made of natural ores. Through the layering of rich colours, he creates a strong visual impact. His fine brushwork that outlines the picture not only retains the essence of traditional Chinese painting but also introduces a modernist distortion and dramatic exaggeration: each of the eight immortals has unique features that convey their sage-like temperament as mythological beings, while also showing the artist's unique artistic language. For instance, he transforms the figures into faces of multiple identities, making them appear between reality and illusion. This echoes how the eight immortals were once mortal beings, representing men and women, the young and the old, and the rich and the poor. With thick oil paint, he creates a dappled texture with a historical effect. The figures appear as if in a distant dream. With this, the artist brings new artistic vitality to the traditional mythological subject.

The Beauty of Returning to Childhood Simplicity

Beautiful Day is a work that combines traditional folklore and Western cubism. Within the picture frame, we can see a large number of geometric shapes, which the artist uses to depict the sky and the ethnic costumes of the characters. The painting fuses different viewpoints to depict the dancing men, women and animals, such as puppies. Like how Georges Braque, the master of Western Cubism said, "reduces everything to geometric outlines, to cubes," Shi Hu uses multiple perspectives to deliver three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional surface, which enhances the passionate and joyful mood of the painting.

This work vividly demonstrates the artist's skillful use of colours, with thick, highly-saturated colours like stripes of the rainbow spread over the painting. From the luminous moonlight and warm golden sunlight overhead to the swaying skirts and glittering jewellery of the dancing crowd, Shi Hu's colourful painting captures the grand ceremonial occasion taking place in a peaceful and prosperous village. With his humble artistic style, he celebrates the pure joy that belongs to childhood days.

Price estimate:
HKD 120,000 – 200,000
USD 15,400 – 25,600