徐悲鴻

With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, many fund-raising campaigns were organized in the Asian countries by the Chinese communities to contribute their support to China in fighting against Japanese invasion. Xu Beihong's exhibition, held in Kuala Lumpur in February 1941, was one of his various fund-raising events for his homeland. In this exhibition, more than 80 works by Xu Beihong were showcased. Invited by the great poet of India, Rabindranath Tagore, and the Sino-Indian Cultural Centre, Xu Beihong went to India in 1940 for exhibition and lecture. According to Xu Beihong's Chronology (Artists Publishing House, Taipei, 1991, pp.232-233), Xu visited Sandurphu in April 1940 to admire Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, and a Chinese ink painting Himalayan Forest was created on 1 June 1940. This matches perfectly with the inscription found on this painting.
Himalayan Forest demonstrates Xu's commitment to reforming Chinese paintings through the infusion of Western painting techniques. The fir and pine wood in the foreground are realistically depicted, using both outlining method and freehand brushstrokes for the form and tonal effects of the ink for the chiaroscuro. The forest and mountain in the background are rendered through splashes of ink wash in different shades. The overall luminous effect is further enhanced by leaving the upper part of the background unpainted or liubai, a characteristic of classical Chinese paintings.
Landscape is a rare painting subject for Xu Beihong and this painting of a wide and luminous view of Himalayan Forest is totally fresh to the market.