Page 134 - September 20 2021 Fabian Collection of Chinese Paintings Art Bonhams NYC
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The International Exchange
Twentieth century Chinese art witnessed an influx of inspiration and source material
that arrived from overseas. In the first decades of the century a handful of artists
travelled on government sponsorships to study in Europe or Japan for extended
periods of time, returning to teach a new generation of students foreign techniques,
materials and approaches to painting. For those artists who were not able to travel
abroad, advances in printing technology provided greater accessibility to the global
art world than in the past. Many embraced new artistic genres, or fused Chinese and
foreign approaches in creative new ways.
Often in pursuit of revitalizing traditional Chinese painting, numerous Chinese painters
studied abroad. Artists in the Reverend Richard Fabian Collection represented in this
sale provide a case in point. Before taking the vows of a monk and becoming Hongyi,
Li Shutong (1880-1942) (Lot 7, Calligraphy in Running/Standard script) went to Japan
in 1905 to study art and theater. Two years later, Gao Qifeng (1889-1933) (Lot 46,
Young Eagle on a Pine, 1930) would go to Tokyo following his brother. Ding Yanyong,
(1902-1978) (Lot 47, Two Birds) was among the second generation of Guangdong
artists, studying in Tokyo for five years beginning in 1920. Lin Fengmian (1900-1991)
(Lot 62, Jialing River), also from Guangdong, would travel to Paris and Berlin for six
years, returning to China in 1926. Xu Beihong (1895-1953) (Lot 61, Young Horse) went
to Japan in 1917, Paris in 1919, and Berlin in 1921.
Although many artists tread a similar path in studying outside of China, their individual
encounters varied widely. For example, Xu Beihong was inspired by European
classicism, and Lin Fengmian found inspiration in the modern art movements of the day.
While Shi Lu (1919-1982) (Lot 63, Scenes and Mythologies, 1970) did not travel abroad
for academic study, his trips to India and Egypt in 1955-1956 had an impact on his work
for decades to follow, as the spectacular album in the present sale can attest. After
their sojourns, each of these artists returned to China, with new ideas and perspectives.
An unusual example of international exchange is seen in the work of the Dutch artist,
Johannes Wilhelm van der Heide (1878-1956) (Lot 60, A Special Medicine). A gift to
the diplomat Duanfang (1861-1911) while travelling to Europe and North America while
on a Qing Imperial Mission, the artist depicts the landscape of Holland using Western
gouache pigments, but the artist chooses a traditional Chinese handscroll format.
Mounted together with a frontispiece in seal script and calligraphed colophons, the
Dutch painting is cloaked in a traditional Chinese fashion.