PRINTPROVENANCE:
Collection of Mr. Zhou Yunjian, Brazil
Collection of Mr. Zhou Yunjian, Brazil
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Yellow Mountain – Sea of Clouds
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1987 Mounted scroll, ink and color on paper 144 x 366 cm With eight seals of the artist |
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Estimate
2,400,000 - 3,600,000 10,084,000 - 15,126,000 309,300 - 463,900
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Sold Price
2,400,000 10,041,841 308,880
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Catalogue Note:
YELLOW MOUNTAIN – SEA OF CLOUDS
LIU HAISU
Being the master of Chinese art in the 20th century, Liu Hai-Su is celebrated for his strongly subjective and unique open-minded attitudes towards art. From the 1970s to the 1980s, there had been discussion about the future of Chinese paintings in art circles. In a discussion about the extremely sorry state of Chinese paintings, being different from other people's view, Liu still insisted on an open-minded attitude. He has been engaged in exploring splash-ink and splash-colour methods of Chinese paintings. Thus, he becomes a pioneer at the two methods.
Liu's colour-ink art explorations are relevant to his insistent belief in the principle of combining Chinese and Western art. In his later life, he also uses both oil paintings and colour ink at the same time-making Chinese and Western elements keep abreast of each other. In his painting, the two are simply different medium of conveying thoughts and feelings and also represent his artistic features in his later life. The force of unexpected change is shown in harmony among colours. Such kind of unexpected change introduces a novelty within a traditional idea, ink is regarded as the main focus; colour, as a complementin literati paintings. Liu selects attractively scenic Huang Mountains as a significant object in his colour-ink changes and also as a topic conveying his artistic feeling-thus transforming the mountain into a landscape with vast and magnificent scenery. This remarkable representation originated from the painter's rich experience of painting from life in his earlier years. Liu uses Chinese painting skills and comparison in portraying mountains and rivers, and he connects tradition to actual life. His artistic experience provides an important preparatory understanding for his later colour-ink explorations. His Yellow Mountain – Sea of Clouds finally becomes a work praised far and wide in artistic circles. In his coloured-ink work, Yellow Mountain – Sea of Clouds mountains are toweringly erected and magnificently overlapping. Their imposing manner is thrilling and vibrating. Clouds and mists float among them. Looking like a fairy land, this picture represents a powerful force resulting from the creation of nature. This work is so breathtaking. Shadows of mountains are made by using the mercury ore called cinnabar. The rocky mountains in the foreground are made by using water and ink and splash-colour method. With coloured ink's free permeation, the painter applies many layers of ink and also plays up azurite in this painting. Marvelous pines in the front are outlined using forceful brush strokes. Large patches are made by combining ink colours with water and thus an effect of rich texture is left on the rice paper. The blank areas and coloured areas make an interesting contrast. Red and blue connected to each other are strong and also make a good match. Thus an aloof and ancient realm of stable, heavy, spiritual and graceful feeling is achieved. The painting, Yellow Mountain - Sea of Clouds shows the painter's profound realization on tradition and innovation. Liu fulfills his coloured-ink exploration within a traditional structure. His art itself comes more from Chinese traditional culture. In a solid foundation of vast Chinese traditional cultivation and knowledge, Liu's colour-ink art provides a unique style. His use of the brush is forceful and powerful. Colours are applied in a free manner. He sometimes uses a splash-colour technique – which demonstrates his bold spirit. His paintings achieve a marvelous effect and a degree of representation which can compete with Western oil paintings.
He was also one of the first pioneers who valued artistic language and art forms in modern Chinese art. To Liu, in addition to the topic, a work of art also relies on its form to move its audience. He travelled thousands of miles and read thousands of books, having journeyed to the West for 5 times, the East 4 times and the South a few times, copying and researching artworks at various museums and galleries around the world. This gave rise to his solid foundation of oil painting and wide artistic horizon. He was even more engaged in Chinese painting, copying numerous authentic artworks and delving into the study of literati painting. Being a great painter as well as an outstanding calligrapher, Liu valued sketches and observation, drawing endless inspirations from nature. He stressed spirit and the use of brush in his ink wash painting, following Spirit Resonance (the overall energy of a work of art) and Bone Method (the way of using the brush) indicated in The Six Principles of Chinese Painting by Xie He, an art historian of Southern Qi dynasty. Liu applied Seal Script in his painting, bringing striking momentum through strokes of center tip. From the 1970s, based on his solid foundation of the Bone Method, Liu launched a bold attempt to depict the lotus and Yellow Mountain through the splashing technique of watercolor. In addition, he also applied his research and studies of modern art, such as the works by Matisse, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and Monet, onto the depiction of landscapes, lotus and red plums in his later years. Color and ink appear in perfect harmony in his art. Water, ink and color convey his passion and feelings through the splashing of watercolor.
Poetry and painting were inseparable in the development of literati painting. Composing poems has always been an important mark that differentiated literati painters and professional painters, and Liu attained remarkable achievements on the creation of poems. Visiting Yellow Mountain in his later years, in addition to many magnificent landscape paintings, he also produced quite a few exceptional poems and verses that praise the spectacular landscape of Yellow Mountain.
LIU HAISU
Being the master of Chinese art in the 20th century, Liu Hai-Su is celebrated for his strongly subjective and unique open-minded attitudes towards art. From the 1970s to the 1980s, there had been discussion about the future of Chinese paintings in art circles. In a discussion about the extremely sorry state of Chinese paintings, being different from other people's view, Liu still insisted on an open-minded attitude. He has been engaged in exploring splash-ink and splash-colour methods of Chinese paintings. Thus, he becomes a pioneer at the two methods.
Liu's colour-ink art explorations are relevant to his insistent belief in the principle of combining Chinese and Western art. In his later life, he also uses both oil paintings and colour ink at the same time-making Chinese and Western elements keep abreast of each other. In his painting, the two are simply different medium of conveying thoughts and feelings and also represent his artistic features in his later life. The force of unexpected change is shown in harmony among colours. Such kind of unexpected change introduces a novelty within a traditional idea, ink is regarded as the main focus; colour, as a complementin literati paintings. Liu selects attractively scenic Huang Mountains as a significant object in his colour-ink changes and also as a topic conveying his artistic feeling-thus transforming the mountain into a landscape with vast and magnificent scenery. This remarkable representation originated from the painter's rich experience of painting from life in his earlier years. Liu uses Chinese painting skills and comparison in portraying mountains and rivers, and he connects tradition to actual life. His artistic experience provides an important preparatory understanding for his later colour-ink explorations. His Yellow Mountain – Sea of Clouds finally becomes a work praised far and wide in artistic circles. In his coloured-ink work, Yellow Mountain – Sea of Clouds mountains are toweringly erected and magnificently overlapping. Their imposing manner is thrilling and vibrating. Clouds and mists float among them. Looking like a fairy land, this picture represents a powerful force resulting from the creation of nature. This work is so breathtaking. Shadows of mountains are made by using the mercury ore called cinnabar. The rocky mountains in the foreground are made by using water and ink and splash-colour method. With coloured ink's free permeation, the painter applies many layers of ink and also plays up azurite in this painting. Marvelous pines in the front are outlined using forceful brush strokes. Large patches are made by combining ink colours with water and thus an effect of rich texture is left on the rice paper. The blank areas and coloured areas make an interesting contrast. Red and blue connected to each other are strong and also make a good match. Thus an aloof and ancient realm of stable, heavy, spiritual and graceful feeling is achieved. The painting, Yellow Mountain - Sea of Clouds shows the painter's profound realization on tradition and innovation. Liu fulfills his coloured-ink exploration within a traditional structure. His art itself comes more from Chinese traditional culture. In a solid foundation of vast Chinese traditional cultivation and knowledge, Liu's colour-ink art provides a unique style. His use of the brush is forceful and powerful. Colours are applied in a free manner. He sometimes uses a splash-colour technique – which demonstrates his bold spirit. His paintings achieve a marvelous effect and a degree of representation which can compete with Western oil paintings.
He was also one of the first pioneers who valued artistic language and art forms in modern Chinese art. To Liu, in addition to the topic, a work of art also relies on its form to move its audience. He travelled thousands of miles and read thousands of books, having journeyed to the West for 5 times, the East 4 times and the South a few times, copying and researching artworks at various museums and galleries around the world. This gave rise to his solid foundation of oil painting and wide artistic horizon. He was even more engaged in Chinese painting, copying numerous authentic artworks and delving into the study of literati painting. Being a great painter as well as an outstanding calligrapher, Liu valued sketches and observation, drawing endless inspirations from nature. He stressed spirit and the use of brush in his ink wash painting, following Spirit Resonance (the overall energy of a work of art) and Bone Method (the way of using the brush) indicated in The Six Principles of Chinese Painting by Xie He, an art historian of Southern Qi dynasty. Liu applied Seal Script in his painting, bringing striking momentum through strokes of center tip. From the 1970s, based on his solid foundation of the Bone Method, Liu launched a bold attempt to depict the lotus and Yellow Mountain through the splashing technique of watercolor. In addition, he also applied his research and studies of modern art, such as the works by Matisse, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Renoir and Monet, onto the depiction of landscapes, lotus and red plums in his later years. Color and ink appear in perfect harmony in his art. Water, ink and color convey his passion and feelings through the splashing of watercolor.
Poetry and painting were inseparable in the development of literati painting. Composing poems has always been an important mark that differentiated literati painters and professional painters, and Liu attained remarkable achievements on the creation of poems. Visiting Yellow Mountain in his later years, in addition to many magnificent landscape paintings, he also produced quite a few exceptional poems and verses that praise the spectacular landscape of Yellow Mountain.