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NEWS STORY
A Chinese Controversy
Made in the shade: this
work by Fu Baoshi, Shading Under a Wutong Tree, is estimated to be worth up to
$800,000. His works have attracted some of the highest prices for Modern
Chinese paintings. Picture by Christie's
The buzz of interest surrounding modern
Chinese painting continues to grow - a buzz which at times escalates into
heated controversy. After the mainland's turbulent history during the 20th
century, it is not surprising that the century's artists, exposed to a torrent
of new ideas, have taken their art in countless directions.
The debate continues among artists, critics and collectors
as to which direction will best serve the future.
These different directions have resulted in the development
of two genres of modern painting, and very different markets.
Firstly, there are the artists who paint with ink and colour
on paper - the traditional Chinese brush style which, in the hands of
20th-century artists, has been transformed.
Secondly, there are those who took to oil painting.
These two markets are treated separately by auction houses
and dealers and usually appeal to different collectors.
At the moment the steadiest section of the modern Chinese
painting market is 20th-century brush paintings, with Hong Kong as the auction
centre.
Recent auctions have seen high prices by anyone's standards.
Last autumn, works by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) dominated
sales. His large four-panel screen, Lotus in Wind, sold at Christie's for an
exceptional $8.27 million while Sotheby's sold 18 works by the same artist to
Chinese collectors, two fetching more than $2 million.
C. K. Cheung, Sotheby's director of Chinese paintings for
this region, explains that the market, having been strong in the late 1980s
and early 1990s, fell in the middle of the past decade, but is showing
definite signs of recovery.
Interest is reviving and a growing band of experienced
collectors are demonstrating the truth of his opinion that "high-quality
works will always fetch high prices".
The classical brush-painting tradition in China existed for
centuries and, although the modern brush painters rejected classicism's strict
rules and elitism, its influence pervades modern works.
As knowledge of Western artistic styles grew, the painters,
many of whom travelled abroad to study, developed an increasingly free
approach.
However, the scroll format and traditional subjects such as
mountainous landscapes, scholars, certain flowers, insects and animals
continued in popularity.
Wu Changshuo, who died in 1927, having taken up painting
late in life, was immensely influential on later brush artists for the way he
built a new style on the classical tradition. His bold, distinct brush strokes
gave his subjects weight and solidity, heightened by bright, warm colours.
His framed scroll painting of auspicious fruit and flowers
sold at Christie's last autumn for $322,000.
Works by Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) have fetched some of the
highest auction prices. His Playing the flute in Dong Shan sold for $1.5
million at Sotheby's in the autumn and one of his monochromatic landscapes
with characteristically lively brush strokes fetched $1.34 million at
Christie's.
The best artists use skilful brush strokes to conjure
different textures such as foliage, hair, delicate insect wings or flowing
fabrics, and the adept use of colour.
Successful innovations such as the original use of
perspective in Qi Baishi's best paintings of insects, flowers and aquatic
creatures are also appealing to contemporary collectors.
Collectors looking for the highest-quality works have also
shown particular interest recently in Pu Ru, Lu Yanshao, Xu Beihong, Lin
Fengmian and Wu Guanzhong.
The styles of Lin and Wu Guanzhong are particularly
influenced by Western 20th-century artistic ideas, which they integrate with
Chinese subjects.
A dramatic painting of opera figures by Lin sold for
$368,000 last autumn.
Late this month, Christie's will sell a collection of 26
paintings by Zhang which have an interesting provenance, having been given by
the artist to Li Xulai, a friend of his since childhood in Shanghai.
The Li family came to Hong Kong from the mainland in 1949,
but remained in contact with Zhang.
They mounted exhibitions of his works that helped to
establish his present reputation as one of the great masters of this genre.
The works offered date from throughout the artist's career
and Raymond Sun, Christie's expert in classical and modern brush painting,
expects considerable buyer interest.
The highlight is a scroll, Drunken Dance painted in 1947,
which clearly demonstrates Zhang's skills in composition, brush strokes and
colour.
The estimate is $1.8 million to $2 million.
The incontrovertible provenance of this collection is very
attractive, as attribution of modern brush paintings can cause problems.
Mr Sun acknowledges this and says attribution doubts can
best be dispelled by an unquestionable provenance.
However, he points out that collectors should also seek
experienced advice, as experts who continuously deal with these paintings
develop their eye for individual styles and quality.
This genre of painting at present has a strong market in the
best-known names, but the middle market is less successful. At auction at
least 25 per cent of lots have been unsold at both houses in the past year.
It is still a young international market with a growing band
of collectors predominantly from Asia.
These painters remained close to their country's artistic
tradition. They opted for relative safety amid rapid change and the genre's
best works now seem a relatively safe choice for collectors.
Other mainland artists broke away from tradition completely
to explore the foreign medium of oil paint and a rash of Western artistic
ideas.
by Sophie Wright South China Morning
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