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Lot Essay
Born in Shanghai, Li Huayi studied traditional Chinese paintings as a child with Wang Jimei, the son of artist Wang Zhen. At the age of sixteen, he became acquainted with European art through the artist Zhang Chongren, who studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. His experimental, intricate landscapes blend the new and the old, recalling the monumental Northern Song painting in spirit. Li has travelled to scenic, historic and cultural sites of China, from Mount Huang to Dunhuang, the sights of which have remained a lasting inspiration.
Beginning with splashes of ink on paper which create a free-form formation of grotesque mountains and cliffs, a technique often associated with Zhang Daqian, Li Huayi then meticulously adds photo-realistic details to depict jagged rocks and looming pines using a fine brush. An interest in Buddhist philosophy propels Li Huayi to seek such imageries in nature: in Wilderness Performance, the shape of the cliff resembles the profile of a wall-gazing Bodhidharma. The artist’s detailed approach creates an image at once monumental and intimate, portraying a vast mountainscape, radiating quiet energy.
Beginning with splashes of ink on paper which create a free-form formation of grotesque mountains and cliffs, a technique often associated with Zhang Daqian, Li Huayi then meticulously adds photo-realistic details to depict jagged rocks and looming pines using a fine brush. An interest in Buddhist philosophy propels Li Huayi to seek such imageries in nature: in Wilderness Performance, the shape of the cliff resembles the profile of a wall-gazing Bodhidharma. The artist’s detailed approach creates an image at once monumental and intimate, portraying a vast mountainscape, radiating quiet energy.