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Lot Essay
Li Keran, learned to paint at a young age and was influenced by artists Pan Tianshou, Lin Fengmian, and was mentored by Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong. His landscapes, created through spontaneous expression and free sketch, mixed Western techniques of light and shadow into traditional compositions of Chinese painting, hence successfully created a completely new and progressive genre for Chinese 20th century painting.
Li Keran's artistic career began to take new form in the beginning of the 1960's, and the uniqueness of his landscape paintings gave rise to the term 'Li's landscapes'. He entered a phase of "one extraction and ten smeltings", upon which he created a brand new artistic school through innovative techniques of shading, modelling, composition and expression. Some scholars even suggested that by mid-age Li already accomplished much and reached the zenith of his artistic career.
Li had a deep love for his country and was very patriotic-during the Sino-Japanese war he participated in many events promoting patriotism and protesting against the Japanese. It is unsurprising then, that in the majority of his paintings, the mountains and rivers all referred to his beloved homeland. His landscape paintings were imbued with patriotic slogans and symbolic colours and were visual records of the great country.
A Million Strong Across the Yangtze was created by Li in 1964 and was inspired by Mao Zedong's poem, which Li proudly inscribed on the upper part of the painting. At that time, paintings inspired by Mao's words were common, for his poetry was usually permeated with optimism for the future and was admired by the literati. Furthermore, as the 50's and 60's were politically sensitive times, it was guaranteed safety for artist to use lines from Mao in paintings for fear of political persecution. Even restrictive, this disguise provided an asylum for artists' creativity during the time of political turmoil, maintaining a space to innovate artistically and to balance their emotions.
In A Million Strong Across the Yangtze, Li Keran finely depicted eight sailing boats in the foreground, while the sails of other boats and part of the Nanjing city can be seen through the stormy weather farther away. The ink wash of the tempestuous sky contrasts with the sailing boats in pale yellow and the flying orange flags. The sense of space is further enhanced by the treatment of areas unpainted.
The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanking, as inscribed in the painting :
Over Chungshan swept a storm, headlong,
Our mighty army, a million strong, has crossed the Great River.
The City, a tiger crouching, a dragon curling, outshines its ancient glories;
In heroic triumph heaven and earth have been overturned.
With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe
And not ape Xiang Yu the conqueror seeking idle fame.
Were Nature sentient, she too would pass from youth to age,
But Man's world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields.
Li Keran's artistic career began to take new form in the beginning of the 1960's, and the uniqueness of his landscape paintings gave rise to the term 'Li's landscapes'. He entered a phase of "one extraction and ten smeltings", upon which he created a brand new artistic school through innovative techniques of shading, modelling, composition and expression. Some scholars even suggested that by mid-age Li already accomplished much and reached the zenith of his artistic career.
Li had a deep love for his country and was very patriotic-during the Sino-Japanese war he participated in many events promoting patriotism and protesting against the Japanese. It is unsurprising then, that in the majority of his paintings, the mountains and rivers all referred to his beloved homeland. His landscape paintings were imbued with patriotic slogans and symbolic colours and were visual records of the great country.
A Million Strong Across the Yangtze was created by Li in 1964 and was inspired by Mao Zedong's poem, which Li proudly inscribed on the upper part of the painting. At that time, paintings inspired by Mao's words were common, for his poetry was usually permeated with optimism for the future and was admired by the literati. Furthermore, as the 50's and 60's were politically sensitive times, it was guaranteed safety for artist to use lines from Mao in paintings for fear of political persecution. Even restrictive, this disguise provided an asylum for artists' creativity during the time of political turmoil, maintaining a space to innovate artistically and to balance their emotions.
In A Million Strong Across the Yangtze, Li Keran finely depicted eight sailing boats in the foreground, while the sails of other boats and part of the Nanjing city can be seen through the stormy weather farther away. The ink wash of the tempestuous sky contrasts with the sailing boats in pale yellow and the flying orange flags. The sense of space is further enhanced by the treatment of areas unpainted.
The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanking, as inscribed in the painting :
Over Chungshan swept a storm, headlong,
Our mighty army, a million strong, has crossed the Great River.
The City, a tiger crouching, a dragon curling, outshines its ancient glories;
In heroic triumph heaven and earth have been overturned.
With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe
And not ape Xiang Yu the conqueror seeking idle fame.
Were Nature sentient, she too would pass from youth to age,
But Man's world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields.