Great Chinese art on offer at city auction
A variety of modern ink-wash paintings, calligraphy, Buddha statues and ancient bronze mirrors will go under hammer at the 2020 Shanghai Council Autumn Auction on Saturday.
One highlight is several ink-wash paintings created by Qi Baishi (1864-1957), widely considered to be one of the greatest Chinese painters of the 20th century. His work epitomizes Chinese tradition using innovative forms and styles.
Unlike most other artists of his time, Qi’s work shows no Western influence. His painting was greatly influenced by such masters as Xu Wei (1521-93), Bada Shanren (1626-1705) and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927).
Qi was considered a pioneer who brought freshness and spontaneity to traditional Chinese ink-wash paintings of birds, flowers, insects and landscapes.
One of his works on display at the auction preview, titled “Passing Home without Entering,” features a group of chickens running joyfully outside their cage, just like naughty children excitedly playing on their way home after school.
“The excellence of a painting lies in its being alike yet unlike. Too much likeness flatters vulgar taste, while too much unlikeness deceives the world,” Qi once said.
Qi Baishi's “Passing Home without Entering”
Another highlight at the auction is “Appreciating the Plum Blossom in Winter” created by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the 20th century.
Born into a family of artists in Neijiang, Sichuan Province, Zhang studied textile-dyeing in Kyoto, Japan. From 1941 to 1944, he went to Dunhuang in Gansu Province to make replica paintings in the Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes. Zhang copied 276 murals and founded a new school of painting based on ancient Buddhist art.
After a successful career in Shanghai, he left the Chinese mainland in 1949. His prolific career spanned Argentina, Brazil and the United States.
Zhang Daqian's "Appreciating the Plum Blossom in Winter"
Preview
Date: December 11, 9:30am-5pm
Auction
Date: December 12, 9:30am
Venue: 8/F, Starry Sky Hall, Shanghai Grand Theater
Address: 300 People's Ave
