Page 189 - Modern Chinese Paintings, Hk Nov. 27,2017

As one of the leading figures of modern Chinese painting, Fu often used traditional poems and tales as the basis
for his paintings. Fu believed that “the beauty of a painting will affect the viewer if it first affects the painter”,
and that a successful painter employs calligraphic brushwork which emerges from physicality and emotion.

Written in 816 AD by Bai Juyi, a well-known Tang dynasty poet and official, The Song of the Pipa Player can
be seen as his personal reflection on his own life experiences. Once the Commander of Jiangzhou, stationed
in Xunyang, Bai was demoted and exiled by Emperor Xianzong over the failure to catch the murderer of two
high officials. The Song of the Pipa Player speaks of the melancholy Bai Juyi felt upon hearing the sad tune of the
pipa player, and the misfortunes of which she spoke. Stirring up his own feelings of despair over his dismissal
from his post as governor, he felt an affinity to her song and her hardships, while the autumn season adds to
the chills of adversity.

In The Song of the Pipa Player, Fu broke through traditional notions of Chinese painting and created something
exciting and different, while remaining culturally significant with undercurrents of political commentary.
Tightly composed, Fu’s composition is deliberately and carefully thought out – placed in corners diagonally
across from each other, the characters exude a pensive and melancholic affection, while the gloomy moonlight
surrounding creates a sense of cool detachment. Fu’s well-modeled and dark-complexioned figures blend well
in the overall darkly dramatic tonality of the painting, and the trees underscore Fu’s mastery in brushwork and
skilful play of light.

In the years preceeding 1945, Fu painted several paintings of the same subject matter and composition.A similar
piece is housed in the collection of the Nanjing Museum, created in 1944, a year before the current lot. One
can see how Fu’s understanding of the same subject matter further developed his inner vision, artistic expression,
and unique perspective in composition, mood creation and figurative delineation.

Notably, this painting was originally in the collection of the renowned financier and government official H. H.
K’ung (Kong Xiangxi, 1881-1967). H. H. K’ung was a 75th-generation descendant of Confucius – a native of
Taigu, Shanxi province to a well-established family of businessmen. He was educated by Christian missionaries
at a young age and studied at Oberlin College andYale University before returning to China in 1907. His initial
career as an educator was cut short by the political disruption caused by the fall of the Qing dynasty. He was
quickly appointed the civil administrator of Taigu and division commander of the local army. Shifting politics
obliged K’ung to spend time in Japan, where he met and in 1914 married Soong Ailing (1890-1973).

H. H. K’ung served several critical posts in the Republic of China government: Minister of Industry and
Commerce (1928-1931), Minister of Finance (1933-1944), Governor of the Central Bank of China (1933-1945),
and Premier of the Republic (1939-1945). During his career, he enacted important economic reforms and was
among the key architects of China’s modern financial and industrial systems. K’ung lived in the United States
after 1947 and these paintings remained in the family by descent.

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