Lot  28 Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Fruit Tree

WU Guanzhong (Chinese, 1919 - 2010)

2000

Ink and color on paper

45 x 48 cm

Estimate

TWD 2,200,000-3,200,000

USD 67,700-98,500

Sold Price

TWD 2,242,000

USD 69,986


Signature

Signed lower right Wu Guanzhong in Chinese and dated 2000 With two seals of the artist

EXHIBITED:


Wu Guanzhong - Recent Works, The Rotunda Exchange Square, Hong Kong, December 15-19, 2003

ILLUSTRATED:


Wu Guanzhong Year Book 2000, Guangxi Fine Art Publishing House, Nanning, 2001, p. 93

The Landscape of Life - Wu Guanzhong'Album in Art IV, Joint Pubishing, Beijing, 2003, color illustrated, p. 166

Wu Guanzhong - Recent Works, Yan Gallery, Hong Kong, 2003, color illustrated, pp. 36-37

+ OVERVIEW

Wu Guanzhong mentioned Lin Fengmian's square pictures in the article "paintings and poems" and considered "square pictures are more likely to focus and to compact" After 1980, Wu Guanzhong sometimes tried to paint with a square picture, especially for the classical Chinese theme paintings. Square painting was a tradition came from Sung Dynasty, it was the prime period in Chinese art history, during that time, and the "a picture in a poem, a poem in a picture"aesthetic concept was emphasized in every painting. However, according to the explanations from critics, a square picture and balance the rationality and emotion of the artist, therefore many artists paint square pictures once in a while. Wu Guanzhong said: " What we gained from tradition, is enlightenment; what we suffered from tradition, is imitation.?He learned traditional paintings as well as western paintings, the way he treated both was not confined by the tradition, and it was an enlightened, brand new form of creation.

The sincere and honest painting style of the artist, as well as his vision to search for beauty can be easily discovered in "Fruit Tree" Although Wu Guanzhong had seen countless great rivers and mountains, he still holds dearly to small lives like a flower, or a field of grass. In his sharp observations, grass and fruits are the stronger one in the world because they can live and grow freely, flower and fruits are small, but they lived their lives beautifully, he was attracted by them and painted them beautifully. In "Fuit Tree" he used mature and skillful lines for the branch, red fruits are like flowers blooming on the branch, birds are also draw by the smell of the fruits and fly between branches, the picture provides pleasant feelings, the color and arrangements are also perfect, it's one of his masterpieces. "Fruit tree" is also one of the Wu Guanzhong's favorite paintings, just before he agreed and authorized, "Fruit tree"was selected an printed to limited block prints, to favor Wu Guanzhong's collectors.

Related Info

The 20th & 21st Century Chinese Art

Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Sunday, June 4, 2006, 12:00am