PRINTILLUSTRATED:
Luo Zhongli - The Chinese Soul of Dabashan, Mountain Art Cultural and Educational Foundation, Kaohsiung, 1996, color illustrated, p. 69
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Take Shelter from Rain – 2
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1995 Oil on canvas 95 x 130 cm Signed lower right Luo zhong li in English and Luo in Chinese |
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Estimate
12,000,000 - 18,000,000 3,061,000 - 4,592,000 394,100 - 591,100
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ILLUSTRATED:
Luo Zhongli - The Chinese Soul of Dabashan, Mountain Art Cultural and Educational Foundation, Kaohsiung, 1996, color illustrated, p. 69
Catalogue Note:
A CHILDHOOD AMBITION, AND THE SUCCESS OF “FATHER”
Luo Zhongli’s interest in art derived from his family background. Luo’s father was a draughtsman in a factory, and on weekends he would teach Luo Zhongli and his three brothers to draw and paint. When Luo Zhongli was in his second year in junior high school, he won a prize for a painting of his that was shown in an international exhibition of children’s paintings in Hong Kong; this award strengthened his ambition to make art a vocation rather than just a hobby. When Luo’s famous work “Father” was completed in 1979, Luo was still only 30 years old, and was still enrolled as a student at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute; “Father” won first prize at the Second Youth Art Exhibition, which brought Luo great prestige, and reinforced his determination to make painting the daily life of the peasants of the Dabashan region that he knew so well – including their joys, sorrows, anger, love, hate and death – his life’s work.
STUDYING OVERSEAS HELPED LUO TO BROADEN HIS OUTLOOK
During the period 1984-1986, Luo Zhongli studied at the Royal Belgian Academy in Antwerp. During this time, he traveled to 13 countries in Europe and North America, visiting the important museums and art galleries, and studying famous works. Luo was very impressed by the works of Millet and Bruegel, both of whom painted scenes of peasant life. He succeeded in fusing the influence of the great masters of the past with his own life experience and artistic vision.
A TRANSFORMATION IN LUO’S ARTISTIC LEXICON AND STYLE
First stage: Following on from the success of “Father,” in 1982 Luo Zhongli completed his graduation project – the “Home” series – which depicted scenes from the daily life of peasants in the Dabashan region. These paintings derived from the large number of sketches that Luo had made while visiting the region. Works such as “Whispering,” “Exerting Himself” and “Rain Dripping Off the Eaves,” with their simple brushwork and sparing use of color, have a strong rural feel to them; they exude a sense of the down-to-earth integrity that characteristics the peasants living in these mountainous districts. In these paintings, a change in Luo’s style can be seen away from hyper-realism towards a “rural realism” style. However, the thinking and concepts embodied by these paintings still show continuity with Luo’s earlier work, with continued use of an academy-influenced expressionist artistic lexicon.
Second stage: The second stage in the evolution of Luo Zhongli’s artistic style was his move away from rural realism towards expressionism. At the same time, however, Luo’s new style still represented a continuation of the first stage. By the 1990s, Luo was focused on the transformation and development of his personal artistic lexicon and style, and was engaged in a process of experimentation whereby he sought to develop an artistic style that reflected contemporary culture while also embodying an East Asian aesthetic. There was a gradual shift away from a realist approach towards more exaggerated, distorted forms. Luo produced a series of paintings that portrayed peasants from the Dabashan region in this exaggerated style, with markedly free use of line and color; these works depicted the love and concern that old and young, men and women show to one another, and their straightforward, down-to-earth emotions. Luo’s works from this period are characterized by solid forms and a sturdy sense of power and beauty; the paintings are highly expressive, and begin to reflect Luo’s emergence as a truly great artist.
“Take Shelter from Rain - 2” was painted in 1995, and is a classic example of Luo Zhongli’s style during the second stage of his evolution as an artist. Once again, the subject matter for the painting is taken from the lives of the people of the Dabashan region, to whom Luo was so attached; however, there has been a major transformation in Luo’s use of form and in his technique.
The painting depicts a scene in the Dabashan mountains the evening before a big rainstorm. A farming couple are shown sheltering from the rain under a tree. Here, we no longer see the realistic background and environment that characterized Luo’s earlier works, and the human figures are no longer painted in a realistic way. The painting is full of the blue and grey color tones that are used so often in Luo’s work, with contrasting light and dark tones being used to achieve the variation that other artist might use different colors to create. Wild, flying brushstrokes have been used to create the effect of driving rain; lightning flashes in the distance, causing the old ox turning a grindstone and the birds roosting in the tree branches to open their eyes wide in fear. The present husband and wife shown sheltering under the tree are depicted in an exaggerated, expressionistic manner using powerful brushstrokes, emphasizing the muscularity of the husband’s arms; the wife is also portrayed as a strong, sturdy individual, who is using her clothes to keep the rain off her head and sitting on a sieve with a resigned expression on her face. A small, anxious-looking dog lies prostrate beside her. Besides portraying the simple decency of the human figures, the three-dimensional way in which the people are shown, and the detailed texturing of their skin, also helps bring the painting as a whole to life, causing it to exude a powerful sense of vitality and authenticity in its depiction of this scene from the lives of a Dabashan peasant couple.
Luo Zhongli’s interest in art derived from his family background. Luo’s father was a draughtsman in a factory, and on weekends he would teach Luo Zhongli and his three brothers to draw and paint. When Luo Zhongli was in his second year in junior high school, he won a prize for a painting of his that was shown in an international exhibition of children’s paintings in Hong Kong; this award strengthened his ambition to make art a vocation rather than just a hobby. When Luo’s famous work “Father” was completed in 1979, Luo was still only 30 years old, and was still enrolled as a student at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute; “Father” won first prize at the Second Youth Art Exhibition, which brought Luo great prestige, and reinforced his determination to make painting the daily life of the peasants of the Dabashan region that he knew so well – including their joys, sorrows, anger, love, hate and death – his life’s work.
STUDYING OVERSEAS HELPED LUO TO BROADEN HIS OUTLOOK
During the period 1984-1986, Luo Zhongli studied at the Royal Belgian Academy in Antwerp. During this time, he traveled to 13 countries in Europe and North America, visiting the important museums and art galleries, and studying famous works. Luo was very impressed by the works of Millet and Bruegel, both of whom painted scenes of peasant life. He succeeded in fusing the influence of the great masters of the past with his own life experience and artistic vision.
A TRANSFORMATION IN LUO’S ARTISTIC LEXICON AND STYLE
First stage: Following on from the success of “Father,” in 1982 Luo Zhongli completed his graduation project – the “Home” series – which depicted scenes from the daily life of peasants in the Dabashan region. These paintings derived from the large number of sketches that Luo had made while visiting the region. Works such as “Whispering,” “Exerting Himself” and “Rain Dripping Off the Eaves,” with their simple brushwork and sparing use of color, have a strong rural feel to them; they exude a sense of the down-to-earth integrity that characteristics the peasants living in these mountainous districts. In these paintings, a change in Luo’s style can be seen away from hyper-realism towards a “rural realism” style. However, the thinking and concepts embodied by these paintings still show continuity with Luo’s earlier work, with continued use of an academy-influenced expressionist artistic lexicon.
Second stage: The second stage in the evolution of Luo Zhongli’s artistic style was his move away from rural realism towards expressionism. At the same time, however, Luo’s new style still represented a continuation of the first stage. By the 1990s, Luo was focused on the transformation and development of his personal artistic lexicon and style, and was engaged in a process of experimentation whereby he sought to develop an artistic style that reflected contemporary culture while also embodying an East Asian aesthetic. There was a gradual shift away from a realist approach towards more exaggerated, distorted forms. Luo produced a series of paintings that portrayed peasants from the Dabashan region in this exaggerated style, with markedly free use of line and color; these works depicted the love and concern that old and young, men and women show to one another, and their straightforward, down-to-earth emotions. Luo’s works from this period are characterized by solid forms and a sturdy sense of power and beauty; the paintings are highly expressive, and begin to reflect Luo’s emergence as a truly great artist.
“Take Shelter from Rain - 2” was painted in 1995, and is a classic example of Luo Zhongli’s style during the second stage of his evolution as an artist. Once again, the subject matter for the painting is taken from the lives of the people of the Dabashan region, to whom Luo was so attached; however, there has been a major transformation in Luo’s use of form and in his technique.
The painting depicts a scene in the Dabashan mountains the evening before a big rainstorm. A farming couple are shown sheltering from the rain under a tree. Here, we no longer see the realistic background and environment that characterized Luo’s earlier works, and the human figures are no longer painted in a realistic way. The painting is full of the blue and grey color tones that are used so often in Luo’s work, with contrasting light and dark tones being used to achieve the variation that other artist might use different colors to create. Wild, flying brushstrokes have been used to create the effect of driving rain; lightning flashes in the distance, causing the old ox turning a grindstone and the birds roosting in the tree branches to open their eyes wide in fear. The present husband and wife shown sheltering under the tree are depicted in an exaggerated, expressionistic manner using powerful brushstrokes, emphasizing the muscularity of the husband’s arms; the wife is also portrayed as a strong, sturdy individual, who is using her clothes to keep the rain off her head and sitting on a sieve with a resigned expression on her face. A small, anxious-looking dog lies prostrate beside her. Besides portraying the simple decency of the human figures, the three-dimensional way in which the people are shown, and the detailed texturing of their skin, also helps bring the painting as a whole to life, causing it to exude a powerful sense of vitality and authenticity in its depiction of this scene from the lives of a Dabashan peasant couple.