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Lot Essay
Shiy De-Jinn once said: 'Just as man brings spirit and body into the world, art's craft is to bring with it life and this kind of life becomes an eternal work of art.' Executed in 1960, this work delightfully portrays the slender body and neatly positioned limbs of a woman, her brow no less heroic in spirit than that of a man. This thoughtful reflection on the experience of life demonstrates the rich spirit of artistic creativity.
Born in Sichuan in 1923, Shiy entered the Sichuan National Art Institute in 1943 and studied under Lin Fengmian, gaining a knowledge of Eastern heritage and beginning to come into contact with Western painting theory. Lin, who had studied in France, was the driving force behind Shiy's artistic career, and Shiy would go on to spend his life experiencing the things of the world in order to transform and communicate them through the brush. Shiy's career can be split into three stages: first the period of his studies, then the 1950s and 1960s, which were marked by excellence in figurative portraiture, and then the period from 1970 onwards, when he moved into landscapes in ink.
Seated Girl (Lot 155) was painted in 1960, after Shiy began experimenting with abstract techniques. Because Shiy highly valued the expression of sensibility and individual spirit in art, his technique in portraying figures is not limited to depicting mere formal beauty, but rather extends its emphasis to a grace that reaches out to the mind of the viewer. In 1955 Shiy came into contact with members of the Ton Fon Art Group and identified with their abstract work, initiating his own experimentation with abstract techniques. At the time, abstract painting was also in vogue in the West; for example, Hans Hofmann was using colour blocks composed of rapid brushstrokes to produce a sense of layered space, employing the depth of both colour and layers to create a feeling of visual dislocation. Shiy De-Jinn's Abstraction, composed of oil paint, gold leaf and wooden board, is one of his few abstract works. Shiy positions the human figure in his painting against a background of abstract colouration. This elevates the calm demeanor of the figure and speeds up the bright rhythm of the work. In contrast to most of its genre, Seated Girl is marked by the abstract techniques through which Shiy engaged with the trends of his era. The work expresses his experimentation with and passion for abstraction through the background and the figure's clothing, making this work a masterpiece of portraiture.
Shiy's work is widely known for its succinct and crisp use of line. The figure in this work is composed with clear lines. The woman's posture is free and easy yet neat, stabilising the composition with her perpendicular cross-legged pose. The blue innocence of the face denotes maturity and reflects the psychological state of the woman, as well as the artist's insightful powers of observation. French Fauvist painter Henri Matisse used contrasting colours to depict faces in order to highlight the psychology of the sitter. Shiy, however, largely uses monochrome to bring out the soul of the figure, introducing a style of painting that diverges from Fauvism. This work thus occupies an important place within Shiy's painting practice.
In 1962 Shiy De-Jinn and Liao Chi-Chun organised a joint exhibition, publishing a catalogue entitled Shiy De-Jinn's World that included an illustration of Portrait of a Seated Woman. This rare and brilliant work has not been seen for some 50 years, ever since it was acquired by the current owner in the 1960s.
Born in Sichuan in 1923, Shiy entered the Sichuan National Art Institute in 1943 and studied under Lin Fengmian, gaining a knowledge of Eastern heritage and beginning to come into contact with Western painting theory. Lin, who had studied in France, was the driving force behind Shiy's artistic career, and Shiy would go on to spend his life experiencing the things of the world in order to transform and communicate them through the brush. Shiy's career can be split into three stages: first the period of his studies, then the 1950s and 1960s, which were marked by excellence in figurative portraiture, and then the period from 1970 onwards, when he moved into landscapes in ink.
Seated Girl (Lot 155) was painted in 1960, after Shiy began experimenting with abstract techniques. Because Shiy highly valued the expression of sensibility and individual spirit in art, his technique in portraying figures is not limited to depicting mere formal beauty, but rather extends its emphasis to a grace that reaches out to the mind of the viewer. In 1955 Shiy came into contact with members of the Ton Fon Art Group and identified with their abstract work, initiating his own experimentation with abstract techniques. At the time, abstract painting was also in vogue in the West; for example, Hans Hofmann was using colour blocks composed of rapid brushstrokes to produce a sense of layered space, employing the depth of both colour and layers to create a feeling of visual dislocation. Shiy De-Jinn's Abstraction, composed of oil paint, gold leaf and wooden board, is one of his few abstract works. Shiy positions the human figure in his painting against a background of abstract colouration. This elevates the calm demeanor of the figure and speeds up the bright rhythm of the work. In contrast to most of its genre, Seated Girl is marked by the abstract techniques through which Shiy engaged with the trends of his era. The work expresses his experimentation with and passion for abstraction through the background and the figure's clothing, making this work a masterpiece of portraiture.
Shiy's work is widely known for its succinct and crisp use of line. The figure in this work is composed with clear lines. The woman's posture is free and easy yet neat, stabilising the composition with her perpendicular cross-legged pose. The blue innocence of the face denotes maturity and reflects the psychological state of the woman, as well as the artist's insightful powers of observation. French Fauvist painter Henri Matisse used contrasting colours to depict faces in order to highlight the psychology of the sitter. Shiy, however, largely uses monochrome to bring out the soul of the figure, introducing a style of painting that diverges from Fauvism. This work thus occupies an important place within Shiy's painting practice.
In 1962 Shiy De-Jinn and Liao Chi-Chun organised a joint exhibition, publishing a catalogue entitled Shiy De-Jinn's World that included an illustration of Portrait of a Seated Woman. This rare and brilliant work has not been seen for some 50 years, ever since it was acquired by the current owner in the 1960s.