Page 21 - Christie's Asian Art Auctions PARIS December 2019

22
LI KERAN (1907-1989) Li Keran’s landscapes are never mere paintings from nature rooted in
PAYSAGE DE GUILIN realism. He said, “In order to paint a good landscape, one must frst
Monté, encre et couleur sur papier. grasp the soul of landscape painting—the artistic concept.” In other
Signé par l'artiste avec un cachet, daté de 1979. words, during the process of painting a scene from nature, he grasped
Dimensions: 69 x 96 cm. (27º x 37æ in. ) the communion between the spirit of mountains and streams and the
spirit of the artist. The artistic concept was manifested through the
€200,000-300,000 US$230,000-330,000
transformation of these spirits through his brush. This conforms to
£180,000-260,000
the traditional ideal of “For the exterior one learns from forms; for the
interior the heart.”
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Mr Chen Shuliang's (1901-1991) family member in the Guilin—a favourite source of Li Keran’s inspirations—is a sacred site
2000s, by repute. for Chinese landscape painting known for its unusual and stunning
scenery. He loved Guilin’s natural beauty all his life: The Panorama of
LI KERAN (1907-1989)
GUILIN LANDSCAPE Li River hung in his studio for a long time for his enjoyment. Beginning
SCROLL, INK AND COLOUR ON PAPER in the spring of 1959 when he went to Guilin with the painter Yan
Di, he journeyed there on several occasions. He went on a painting
李可染 漓江山水图 设色纸本 镜心 excursion in 1962 and flmed an art education video there in 1980.
題識：世稱漓江山水甲天下，吾曾多次往遊，江上奇峰羅列，水澄如 In Guilin Landscape, Li Keran used layers of contrasting ink—ranging
鏡，人間天上，飽覽飫看，深感祖國河山美。一九七九年可染並記。 from dark to light and vice versa—to visually build the volume of the
鈐印：可染 rocky clifs along the river. Strategically he also placed whites and
來源：傳于2000年代直接購自陳叔亮先生（1901-1991）家屬
blues to colour the houses and river, brightening the scene. While
Li Keran applied saturated layers of dark ink, the overall image is
nevertheless lively and highly defned.

19
19