Page 134 - Fine Chinese Paintings, Asia Week Christies 2015

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FU BAOSHI (1904-1965) According to tradition, Chinese artists were encouraged to read 10,000 books,
travel 10,000 miles, and study 10,000 paintings. This fan, painted near the end
SCHOLARS STROLLING IN AN AUTUMN of Fu Baoshi’s life when he was fully matured and publicly appreciated as a great
LANDSCAPE painter, reveals Fu’s embodiment of these experiences. In his youth, Fu Baoshi
made a concentrated and comprehensive study of Chinese art history, a process
Folding fan, ink and color on paper that continued throughout his life as a teacher and artist. In the years just before
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist this fan was painted, in addition to short local trips, Fu, along with several
Dated the eighth month, 1962 fellow artists, embarked on two extended journey during which they observed
Dedicated to Xiafei and sketched famous natural scenes. His trip in 1960 included treks through
Calligraphy on the reverse by Deng Tuo (1912-1966), inscribed with Hubei province, referenced in the poem inscribed on this fan. These experiences
a poem by Li Bai (701-762) and signed, with one seal of the artist heightened Fu Baoshi’s connection with China’s landscape and inspired him to
7 æ x 19 Ω in. (19.7 x 49.5 cm.) write: “The mountain-water images become my spokespersons, or I am their
spokesperson.” (as translated by Anita Chung in Chinese Art in an Age of Revolution:
$90,000-120,000 Fu Baoshi (1904-1965), 2011, p. 24.) The literary tradition is frmly incorporated
in this work through the poem by Li Bai (701-762) inscribed on the fan’s reverse
PROVENANCE: by Deng Tuo, the infuential poet and journalist. The poem “At Yellow Crane
Tower Taking Leave of Meng Haoran as He Sets Off for Guangling” clearly
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 30 October 1995, lot 228. inspired Fu Baoshi’s depiction of two fgures traveling together in a vibrant and
dense mountain landscape and in this way combined the best of China’s arts.

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