.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
“As an Oriental artist, he has renewed and transformed Western oil painting by imbuing it with the essence of Chinese ink painting, achieving a mutual identity between subject and object, at the same time vastly opening the restrictions on traditional Chinese painting." -Michelle Loh
Family in Harmony was painted in 1959 by Lee Man Fong - one of the most important pioneering figures of Indonesian Modern Art movement. This work was created after Lee Man Fong’s return to Indonesia from The Hague, where he was awarded a scholarship and even held some successful solo exhibitions. This stunning painting is a testament to Lee Man Fong’s artistic techniques gaining a new level of maturity. With the academic skill gained from studying abroad as well as being classically trained in Chinese ink tradition, Lee Man Fong’s works incorporate the best of both Eastern and Western worlds into his highly distinctive canvases.
Painted around the same time as Family of Horses (Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2016, Lot 53), the choice of the subject for Family in Harmony demonstrates the artist's penchant for the animal. It also coincides with the favourite subject of the great Chinese painter Xu Bei Hong, who was much admired by Lee Man Fong. In contrast to its predecessor, in Family in Harmony Lee Man Fong was experimenting with the creation of pictorial space, placing the horses in a distant landscape setting. The scene depicts a tender moment of a horse family instead of their vivacious energy. The stallion is seen standing regally while the mare and foal lovingly embrace under a tree. It is interesting to see that Lee juxtaposed two characteristic qualities of the horses in the present lot, the strong and the gentle, humanizing them within a composition.
With the calmness and serenity of the scene, a sense of movement is smoothly introduced through Lee’s gestural brushstrokes. These strokes forming the mane and the tail of the horses; as well as the foliage; dew and the ground gently wraps Lee’s animal subjects. With this little detail we can see that Lee Man Fong pushed the limit of the oil medium to the execution of brush strokes even more, mimicking the airiness and lyrical brush of Chinese ink. On the other hand, we can see that Lee was influenced by the great Dutch Impressionism movement through the choice of colours he used for this painting. Lee’s application of muted tones adorned his main subject in modesty blending into the landscape, drawing the viewer's attention ever towards the entire composition as a harmonious unison between Mother Nature and the animal.
Family in Harmony showcases the importance and continuing relevance of Chinese culture and cultural meaning in Lee Man Fong’s life and work throughout his artistic oeuvre. Lee’s mastery at the blending of East and West in his oil paintings is not under question. His works remain highly sought-after and are found in both public and private collections internationally. It is without a doubt that Lee Man Fong is revered as one of Indonesia’s finest and most lauded artists of all time.
Family in Harmony was painted in 1959 by Lee Man Fong - one of the most important pioneering figures of Indonesian Modern Art movement. This work was created after Lee Man Fong’s return to Indonesia from The Hague, where he was awarded a scholarship and even held some successful solo exhibitions. This stunning painting is a testament to Lee Man Fong’s artistic techniques gaining a new level of maturity. With the academic skill gained from studying abroad as well as being classically trained in Chinese ink tradition, Lee Man Fong’s works incorporate the best of both Eastern and Western worlds into his highly distinctive canvases.
Painted around the same time as Family of Horses (Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2016, Lot 53), the choice of the subject for Family in Harmony demonstrates the artist's penchant for the animal. It also coincides with the favourite subject of the great Chinese painter Xu Bei Hong, who was much admired by Lee Man Fong. In contrast to its predecessor, in Family in Harmony Lee Man Fong was experimenting with the creation of pictorial space, placing the horses in a distant landscape setting. The scene depicts a tender moment of a horse family instead of their vivacious energy. The stallion is seen standing regally while the mare and foal lovingly embrace under a tree. It is interesting to see that Lee juxtaposed two characteristic qualities of the horses in the present lot, the strong and the gentle, humanizing them within a composition.
With the calmness and serenity of the scene, a sense of movement is smoothly introduced through Lee’s gestural brushstrokes. These strokes forming the mane and the tail of the horses; as well as the foliage; dew and the ground gently wraps Lee’s animal subjects. With this little detail we can see that Lee Man Fong pushed the limit of the oil medium to the execution of brush strokes even more, mimicking the airiness and lyrical brush of Chinese ink. On the other hand, we can see that Lee was influenced by the great Dutch Impressionism movement through the choice of colours he used for this painting. Lee’s application of muted tones adorned his main subject in modesty blending into the landscape, drawing the viewer's attention ever towards the entire composition as a harmonious unison between Mother Nature and the animal.
Family in Harmony showcases the importance and continuing relevance of Chinese culture and cultural meaning in Lee Man Fong’s life and work throughout his artistic oeuvre. Lee’s mastery at the blending of East and West in his oil paintings is not under question. His works remain highly sought-after and are found in both public and private collections internationally. It is without a doubt that Lee Man Fong is revered as one of Indonesia’s finest and most lauded artists of all time.