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Precious paintings at auction preview
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NEARLY 100 artworks including ink-wash paintings, canvases, ancient books, watches and jewelry that will appear next month at the China Guardian 2014 Spring Auctions can be previewed at Le Royal Meridien Shanghai this weekend.
The spotlight at the preview is an ink-wash painting created by Hong Ren (1610-1664), one of the “Four Most Noted Monks” in Chinese ancient art history. The painting, 219 centimeters long and 66 wide, titled “Sitting at the West Garden in the Rain,” was created by artist at the age of 50, at the height of his career.
Hong Ren is thought to have been born in a poor family and to have had an eccentric character. An advocate of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), he became a monk and a rebel against the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Hong was renowned for his depiction of Yellow Mountain, which he visited every year to produce his art. He discarded the Ming style in landscape painting while adding new techniques that rendered a fresh and elegant feel to his work.
Another highlight of the preview are paintings by Qi Baishi (1864-1957). Qi is widely considered one of the greatest Chinese painters of the last century. His paintings epitomize Chinese tradition in an innovative form and style.
Though Qi’s art was inspired by nature, often depicting animals, insects and flowers, he painted them in a new way. He once said, “The excellence of a painting lies in its being alike, yet unlike. Too much likeness flatters the vulgar taste; too much unlikeness deceives the world.”
There will be 28 of Qi’s paintings at 2014 Guardian Spring Auction, given that this year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of the master.
One piece, titled “Scroll of Flower, Insect and Figure,” is the most precious, not only because of its artistic value, but also because of a previous owner — Lao She (1899-1966), a noted Chinese novelist and dramatist. He was one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature, and best known for his novels “Rickshaw Boy” and “Teahouse.”
At the beginning of the “cultural revolution (1966-76),” Lao She suffered humiliations both mentally and physically, and he committed suicide by drowning himself in Taiping Lake in Beijing in 1966.
This history casts a legendary aura onto the painting.
Visit http://english.cguardian.com/preview.php to read more about the auctions.
Date: Tomorrow, 11am-6pm; Sunday, 10am-4pm
Venue: Le Royal Meridien Shanghai
Address: 789 Nanjing Rd E.
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