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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN (LOTS 1259-1260)
LIN FENGMIAN (1900-1991)
Lady Holding a Waterlily
Details
LIN FENGMIAN (1900-1991)
Lady Holding a Waterlily
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
65.3 x 65.3 cm. (25 ¾ x 25 ¾ in.)
Signed, with one seal of the artist
Lady Holding a Waterlily
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
65.3 x 65.3 cm. (25 ¾ x 25 ¾ in.)
Signed, with one seal of the artist
Provenance
Sotheby's Hong Kong, Fine Modern and Contemporary Chinese Paintings, 26 April 1999, Lot 267.
Further Details
LIN FENGMIAN: MASTER OF MODERNITY
Lin Fengmian was one of twentieth century China’s most important modern artists, achieving a unique synthesis of Chinese and European approaches to painting. Educated in France from 1919 to 1925, he was among the first Chinese painters to be exposed to the avant-garde trends that swept post-war Europe. Among his peers, Lin showed the deepest engagement with these artistic movements. He was particularly drawn the radical structures of Cubism, which continued to resonate in the bold compositions and colours of his later works.
Between returning to China in the mid-1920s and his flight from the Japanese invasion to Southern China in 1938, Lin held successive positions as director of the National Beijing Art Academy, the National Art Education Committee, and the Xihu Art Academy in Hangzhou. He was an outspoken polemicist, writing numerous articles and engaging in several public debates over contentious issues of the day. Some of his views were seen as outright controversial by moralising elements in the Chinese media, particularly his vigorous public defence of the use of nude models in art education. For Lin, such issues were not abstract questions of aesthetics. They were a battle ground for the spiritual wellbeing of New China, still seeking to define itself after the 1911 revolution. Like many of his contemporaries in the artistic, literary and political world, Lin felt his creative and educational work was driven by a moral imperative. His was a project of cultural reform, meant to prepare the Chinese people for the challenges of the twentieth century.
After 1949, Lin largely retreated from art education, as his expressive and semi-abstract style was out of kilter with the Socialist Realist aesthetic of the People’s Republic. Nonetheless, he continued to contribute to the art world with occasional exhibitions, and to develop his own artistic practice in the private space of his studio until 1966. Many of his works from this period were collected by members of the international community in Shanghai, and have been preserved in collections outside of mainland China.
Following a particularly difficult period from 1966-1976, Lin relocated to Hong Kong. Here he found new audiences for his work, revisiting many of his earlier compositions and subjects. Lin’s unique synthesis of Chinese and European art continued right until the end of his life. The internationally connected city of Hong Kong created new opportunities for Lin. Between 1976 and 1991, numerous exhibitions brought Lin’s work to a global audience. This allowed Lin’s unique creative voice to be heard across the world, elevating him into a long deserved position of international renown.
Lin Fengmian was one of twentieth century China’s most important modern artists, achieving a unique synthesis of Chinese and European approaches to painting. Educated in France from 1919 to 1925, he was among the first Chinese painters to be exposed to the avant-garde trends that swept post-war Europe. Among his peers, Lin showed the deepest engagement with these artistic movements. He was particularly drawn the radical structures of Cubism, which continued to resonate in the bold compositions and colours of his later works.
Between returning to China in the mid-1920s and his flight from the Japanese invasion to Southern China in 1938, Lin held successive positions as director of the National Beijing Art Academy, the National Art Education Committee, and the Xihu Art Academy in Hangzhou. He was an outspoken polemicist, writing numerous articles and engaging in several public debates over contentious issues of the day. Some of his views were seen as outright controversial by moralising elements in the Chinese media, particularly his vigorous public defence of the use of nude models in art education. For Lin, such issues were not abstract questions of aesthetics. They were a battle ground for the spiritual wellbeing of New China, still seeking to define itself after the 1911 revolution. Like many of his contemporaries in the artistic, literary and political world, Lin felt his creative and educational work was driven by a moral imperative. His was a project of cultural reform, meant to prepare the Chinese people for the challenges of the twentieth century.
After 1949, Lin largely retreated from art education, as his expressive and semi-abstract style was out of kilter with the Socialist Realist aesthetic of the People’s Republic. Nonetheless, he continued to contribute to the art world with occasional exhibitions, and to develop his own artistic practice in the private space of his studio until 1966. Many of his works from this period were collected by members of the international community in Shanghai, and have been preserved in collections outside of mainland China.
Following a particularly difficult period from 1966-1976, Lin relocated to Hong Kong. Here he found new audiences for his work, revisiting many of his earlier compositions and subjects. Lin’s unique synthesis of Chinese and European art continued right until the end of his life. The internationally connected city of Hong Kong created new opportunities for Lin. Between 1976 and 1991, numerous exhibitions brought Lin’s work to a global audience. This allowed Lin’s unique creative voice to be heard across the world, elevating him into a long deserved position of international renown.
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