Page 230 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings Hong Kong Dec. 1 2015

LOT 1376
PROPERTY OF AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN

After he returned to China from Europe in the 1920s, Lin Fengmian was appointed
the president of the Hangzhou National College of Art, pioneering the integration
of Western modernism with Chinese traditional painting. In the 1950s, Lin became
enthralled with Chinese traditional opera, from Beijing Opera to Kun Opera, resulting
in numerous inspirations for his artworks. Opera Figures depicts a famous scene from
the Beijing opera, the Banquet at Hongmen. The figure in blue robes and opera mask
is Zhang Liang, the trusted aide of future Han emperor, Liu Bang. Lin Fengmian uses
only two strokes to represent the eyebrows and nose, as well as a striking slab of colour
to depict a figure of shrewdness and valor. The white-faced figure to his right with the
shou-character eyebrows is Xiang Yu, the warlord who was eventually defeated by Liu
Bang. Lin Fengmian uses a single colour to paint his facial makeup, where the heavy
strokes and exaggerated lines emphasise the warlord’s brutal and reckless disposition. As
the two figures confront each other against the soldiers in the background, the Banquet
at Hongmen reveals itself to be a perilous affair. Here, Cubist and Expressionist
techniques are in perfect fusion with the Chinese traditions: the palette is simple and
bright; the composition lively and rhythmic.

1376

LIN FENGMIAN (1900-1991)

Opera Figures – Banquet at Hongmen

Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
70.8 x 67.3 cm. (27 ‰ x 26 ƒ in.)
Signed, with one seal of the artist

PROVENANCE:

Acquired by the present owner from Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey Ltd., Hong Kong, in 1987.

HK$2,500,000-3,500,000 US$330,000-450,000

1987 Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey

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