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Lot Essay
“When conceiving a painting, it is essential to consider the composition.
One should differentiate the primary and the secondary, make coordination, integrate the void and the substantial, the sparse and the full, the high and low, the tortuous and the straightforward.
Especially, one should pay attention to the four corners and four edges of the painting.
Make them connected with the subject matter and share the same momentum with it.
In this way, the painting will obtain vitality and joy from beyond the material surface.”
– Pan Tianshou, Essays on Painting Techniques in Tingtian Pavilion
Amongst the masters of modern painting, Pan Tianshou is famous for his precarious composition. He specializes in using the method of Zaoxian (setting up thrills) and Poxian (undoing thrills), endorsing the picture-scape with vigorous, magnificent and electrifying beauty.
In Bamboo Valley, Pan deploys a linear perspective to depict the scenic mountain village. The foreground, painted with rich and confident brushstrokes, diagonally corresponds with the rocks and mountains in the background, directing the eye to Pan's primary subject—the village in the middle. Within this range, the sparkling river surface, illustrated with only a few strokes, and the broad river bank form an expansive and saturated momentum. While there is an obvious opposition between the void in the river and the substantiality of mountains and rocks, the composition is in balance and harmony when viewed as a whole. Such unexpected and skilful arrangement demonstrates Pan’s vigorous spirit. And the figure holding a laundry stick not only functions as the focal point of this painting but also adds dynamism.
Bamboo Valley was created in 1954, coinciding with the peak of China’s New Chinese Painting Movement. This movement aimed to reform traditional Chinese painting considering its lack of sketching elements and real-life depictions. It is obvious that while making attempts to respond to the Movement, in this painting representing village life, Pan also maintained his characteristic audacious composition. According to the previous collector, this painting was a gift from Pan Tianshou to his mother and thence by descent. The original recipient was a Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts in Embroidery and worked at the Shanghai Institute of Arts and Crafts. She and Pan Tianshou were both from Zhejiang Province.
One should differentiate the primary and the secondary, make coordination, integrate the void and the substantial, the sparse and the full, the high and low, the tortuous and the straightforward.
Especially, one should pay attention to the four corners and four edges of the painting.
Make them connected with the subject matter and share the same momentum with it.
In this way, the painting will obtain vitality and joy from beyond the material surface.”
– Pan Tianshou, Essays on Painting Techniques in Tingtian Pavilion
Amongst the masters of modern painting, Pan Tianshou is famous for his precarious composition. He specializes in using the method of Zaoxian (setting up thrills) and Poxian (undoing thrills), endorsing the picture-scape with vigorous, magnificent and electrifying beauty.
In Bamboo Valley, Pan deploys a linear perspective to depict the scenic mountain village. The foreground, painted with rich and confident brushstrokes, diagonally corresponds with the rocks and mountains in the background, directing the eye to Pan's primary subject—the village in the middle. Within this range, the sparkling river surface, illustrated with only a few strokes, and the broad river bank form an expansive and saturated momentum. While there is an obvious opposition between the void in the river and the substantiality of mountains and rocks, the composition is in balance and harmony when viewed as a whole. Such unexpected and skilful arrangement demonstrates Pan’s vigorous spirit. And the figure holding a laundry stick not only functions as the focal point of this painting but also adds dynamism.
Bamboo Valley was created in 1954, coinciding with the peak of China’s New Chinese Painting Movement. This movement aimed to reform traditional Chinese painting considering its lack of sketching elements and real-life depictions. It is obvious that while making attempts to respond to the Movement, in this painting representing village life, Pan also maintained his characteristic audacious composition. According to the previous collector, this painting was a gift from Pan Tianshou to his mother and thence by descent. The original recipient was a Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts in Embroidery and worked at the Shanghai Institute of Arts and Crafts. She and Pan Tianshou were both from Zhejiang Province.