.jpg?w=1)
A rainstorm sweeps down on the northern land,White breakers leap to the sky.No fishing boats off QinhuangdaoAre seen on the boundless ocean.Where have they gone?Nearly two thousand years agoWielding his whip, the Emperor WeiwuRode eastward to the rock; his poem survives.Today the autumn wind still sighs,But the world has changed!- Beidaihe (to the melody of Langtaosha)Fu Baoshi’s use of poetry to complement paintings was an idea he used frequently from the early 1940s to the end of his life. Fu’s early study of Chinese art history put him in good stead in borrowing poetry from Shi Tao, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and others to inspire his artistic direction, a particular well-known one being The Song of the Pipa Player executed in 1945 (Lot 8801). Owing to the new political atmosphere in the 1950s, Fu shifted his literary inspirations from old masters to new leaders, taking inspiration from Mao Zedong’s charged, evocative poetry and creating masterpieces such as the large joint work with Guan Shanyue Such is the Beauty of Our Rivers and Mountains. As Fu’s works began to mature and his skill continued to develop, the 1960s saw further development in parallel with Mao’s increase in his compilation of poetry.The poem Beidaihe (to the melody of Langtaosha) was created in 1954 by Mao during the second Five-Year Plan, and Fu’s interpretation of the poem in the present painting is thought to have been created in 1960. To the modern artists of the 1960s, the notion of transformation involved not only artistic innovation but also ideological change as reflected in the artist’s conception, in turn serving contemporary political needs. Similar works were created during this time period, such as Autumn Breeze (Fig. 1) at the Nanjing Museum, as well as a piece by the same name dated 1965 (Fig. 2).Fu was charged with the mission of “painting our rivers and mountains with meticulous care”, and in this instance, the foliage and rhythm of falling leaves, faint marks of rain, together with the simple placement and expression of fishermen catching shrimp and crab all aptly express the artist’s idea and feelings evoked through Mao’s poetry.Using a “high-distance” gaoyuan view of the riverscene, Fu freely applies light washes, accentuating the subtle veil of rain, and the dancing movements of Fu’s brush gives an essence of lightness and poise to the shimmering river forms and boats that stretch beyond the horizon. The subtle gradation of ink washes effectively convey light, atmosphere and moisture. Significantly, the falling autumn leaves are reminiscent of the falling leaves in many of Fu’s female potraits of Lady Xiang, such as The Two Goddesses of Xiang River, where the falling leaves and hint of a light breeze further accentuate Fu’s originality in composition, and ingenuously conveys a moment in time on Beidaihe.
FU BAOSHI (1904-1965)
Landscape Inspired by Mao Zedong's Poem
Details
FU BAOSHI (1904-1965)
Landscape Inspired by Mao Zedong's Poem
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated spring, gengzi year (1960)
Dedicated to Yusheng
PROVENANCE:
The artist directly presented this painting as a gift to Mr Chen Yusheng, thence by descent.
NOTE :
The recipient of this painting is Chen Yusheng (1899-1994). Born in Taixing, Jiangsu, Chen joined the Chinese Communist Party in February 1939 and was appointed a senior officer during the Sino-Japanese War, and took on the sobriquet of “Straw-Sandal General”. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was appointed Commander and Commissar of the Logistics Command of East China Navy, the Vice Chief of Staff of the East China Navy Headquarter and the Vice Chairman of the Fourth People’s Political Consultative Conference in Jiangsu Province. Chen passed away in Nanjing in 1994.
108 x 38.5 cm. (42 ½ x 15 1/8 in.)
Landscape Inspired by Mao Zedong's Poem
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated spring, gengzi year (1960)
Dedicated to Yusheng
PROVENANCE:
The artist directly presented this painting as a gift to Mr Chen Yusheng, thence by descent.
NOTE :
The recipient of this painting is Chen Yusheng (1899-1994). Born in Taixing, Jiangsu, Chen joined the Chinese Communist Party in February 1939 and was appointed a senior officer during the Sino-Japanese War, and took on the sobriquet of “Straw-Sandal General”. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was appointed Commander and Commissar of the Logistics Command of East China Navy, the Vice Chief of Staff of the East China Navy Headquarter and the Vice Chairman of the Fourth People’s Political Consultative Conference in Jiangsu Province. Chen passed away in Nanjing in 1994.
108 x 38.5 cm. (42 ½ x 15 1/8 in.)
Brought to you by
Sandy Yom