Lot  651 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Birds by the Bamboo Grove

PU Hsin-yu (Taiwanese, 1896 - 1963)

Ink on paper, framed

99 x 24 cm

Estimate

TWD 340,000-500,000

HKD 90,000-133,000

USD 11,700-17,100

CNY 80,000-118,000

Sold Price

TWD 384,000

HKD 104,348

USD 13,474

CNY 87,872


Signature

Signed Pu Hsin-Yu in Chinese
With one seal of the artist

+ OVERVIEW

Pu Hsin-Yu, also known as Aisin Gioro Pu Ru, Zhong-Heng, Hsin-Yu and Hermit of the West Mountain. He was regarded as a talented child and devoted himself to arts and literature from an early age, focusing on Landscapes, Figure, Flower-and-Birds and calligraphy. He was named as the greatest artist of the North. While he resided in Ma'an Shan at his early age, he practised Northern and Southern Song paintings of figures, horses, birds, flowers and bamboo, according to his autobiography. His artistic skills had advanced since, by incorporating the best of the Southern and Northern Song style, forming elegant scholarly paintings. His unique style became a style to imitate for generations that follow.

This work has a simple structure starting from the bottom left. A bamboo in solitude was drawn with concentrated and dry brush, showing profound experience on the use of brush. Branches of the bamboo was added with swift strokes and excellent control of ink. Overlapping leaves were depicted with a variation of slanted strokes and dry ink, adding movement to the leaves. Gongbi strokes and dry ink were used on the bird to sketch its feathers, beak and eyes. Meticulous details were put to portray the bird glancing backwards with a melancholic expression. Rough strokes were made on the rock with swift cun and fine brush. Plants were drawn in a swift and smooth brushwork. A poem in running script was written on the right as a sorrowful and distant expression over the lost empire. The simplistic composition of this work is rare among Pu Hsin-Yu's works. Such technique highlights its Northern Song style and the elegance of a scholar mourning over his glorified past.
Related Info

Refined Brushwork: Fine Chinese Paintings and Works of Art

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2020

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 2:00pm