PRINTCatalogue Note:
PLUM BLOSSOMS
PANG JIUN
Plum Blossoms testifies to Pang Jiun’s ingenious depiction of a romantic scenery of delicate blossoming spring florets rendering in various tones of magenta and plum that intricately laces across the canvas as it contrasts beautifully with the blue and whimsical blues of the brushes from which the blossoming branches sprouts from. It simultaneously signifies the arrival of spring, the swirling pathway of the bridge in the background appears and disappears as the branches of the blossoming trees in the foreground sway and move ever so slightly against the naturalistic spring breeze, creating a boundless visual illusion in various tones of grey that stimulates one’s imagination. It entices one to ponder upon the beauty of mother nature as the water sparkles and reflects a mirror image of the mountain tops nearby. Pang Jiun imbibes and transforms the realist tradition and a classical heritage of literati painting in deriving an artistic vocabulary that is uniquely his through his magnificent use of the color palette. Pang once posits The sceneries of China are encompassed by majestic mountains and profound waters, exalted yet ethereal in their misty grey tones. I was enlightened as to why texture strokes are an integral part of Chinese painting while I was sketching on Huangshan, but also realized that the true difficulty lay in the representation of these transient greys. The landscapes I painted during the Cultural Revolution were appreciated for their muted color; back then, I was known as Pang Jiun, the man who drew in greys. This was because my contemplations on China’s magnificent sceneries convinced me that gradient greys were the only colors that could truly embody the poeticism and ephemerality of Chinese verse as well as the diffidence and restraint of our profound, hidden emotions. These are all manifestations of the same spirituality.PLUM BLOSSOMS
PANG JIUNHong Kong – Eastern Pearl testifies to the splendor of the Eastern Pearl through Pang Jiun’s magnificent amalgamation of Classical elements of the late Impressionism and the spiritual poetic quality and aesthetic philosophy of Chinese ink painting, the incorporation of these sentiments result in the liberated and lively aura of Pang Jiun's unique artistic approach. The Impressionist notion of instantaneity is transpired through the comprehension of a sense of time, as the painting captivates an instantaneous moment in time that is both nostalgic and modern as the perfect evocation of terrain and mountainous scape in the background rendered in the artist’s signature sublime monochromatic grey tones frames the various amalgamation of buildings extenuating the skyscraper HSBC head quarters on the left. This backdrop contrasts greatly with the cruises and fishing boats that have historically been a trademark of Hong Kong as a fishing port and a stage of international commerce. The artist has deliberately imbued this sight of the prosperous business developments of the city with a munificent dexterity through the utilization of vibrant colors including yellow, red, blue and green. Pang’s often referenced the Beethoven in his writings on artistic techniques in his publications. In this regard, one could almost hear the echoes of the Symphony No. 6 through the ambiance derived from the lyrical brushstrokes of the flowing vehicles on the highway, full of cadence and graceful flowing rhythm that transpires a sense of musicality deeply entrenched into the composition.
Incidentally, the compositional arrangement of the present lot not only captivates the current state of affairs in the beautiful city of Hong Kong, it encompasses the city’s many different facets as areas of established international commerce contrasts significantly with the tranquil greens of the forestry in the foreground. The potent lines and simple figuration composed of a freehand style of calligraphic strokes and rhythms enhance the composition with the ethereal beauty of Western tradition, while it is further imbue by Pang’s unique ability to capture the essence of his subjects through the employment of a freehand (xieyi) approach reminiscent of the late Qi Baishi. As Qi Baishi once posits, The art of painting lies in treading the fine line between likeness and unlikeness: if your work does not resemble your subject at all, you are just a cheat; if it resembles it too much, you are just producing kitsch. The resulting pictorial effect is one that it is both modern and classical simultaneously, where the vicissitudes of time are transpires into a boundless poetic and peaceful scenery that parallels the Classical Literati Tradition. The essential element that lies at the core of Pang's artistic practice is the way in which he observes and expresses his subject matter in the objective world, embodying his thoughts, inspirations, and feelings that remains endearing to Pang’s heart.
PANG JIUN
Plum Blossoms testifies to Pang Jiun’s ingenious depiction of a romantic scenery of delicate blossoming spring florets rendering in various tones of magenta and plum that intricately laces across the canvas as it contrasts beautifully with the blue and whimsical blues of the brushes from which the blossoming branches sprouts from. It simultaneously signifies the arrival of spring, the swirling pathway of the bridge in the background appears and disappears as the branches of the blossoming trees in the foreground sway and move ever so slightly against the naturalistic spring breeze, creating a boundless visual illusion in various tones of grey that stimulates one’s imagination. It entices one to ponder upon the beauty of mother nature as the water sparkles and reflects a mirror image of the mountain tops nearby. Pang Jiun imbibes and transforms the realist tradition and a classical heritage of literati painting in deriving an artistic vocabulary that is uniquely his through his magnificent use of the color palette. Pang once posits The sceneries of China are encompassed by majestic mountains and profound waters, exalted yet ethereal in their misty grey tones. I was enlightened as to why texture strokes are an integral part of Chinese painting while I was sketching on Huangshan, but also realized that the true difficulty lay in the representation of these transient greys. The landscapes I painted during the Cultural Revolution were appreciated for their muted color; back then, I was known as Pang Jiun, the man who drew in greys. This was because my contemplations on China’s magnificent sceneries convinced me that gradient greys were the only colors that could truly embody the poeticism and ephemerality of Chinese verse as well as the diffidence and restraint of our profound, hidden emotions. These are all manifestations of the same spirituality.PLUM BLOSSOMS
PANG JIUNHong Kong – Eastern Pearl testifies to the splendor of the Eastern Pearl through Pang Jiun’s magnificent amalgamation of Classical elements of the late Impressionism and the spiritual poetic quality and aesthetic philosophy of Chinese ink painting, the incorporation of these sentiments result in the liberated and lively aura of Pang Jiun's unique artistic approach. The Impressionist notion of instantaneity is transpired through the comprehension of a sense of time, as the painting captivates an instantaneous moment in time that is both nostalgic and modern as the perfect evocation of terrain and mountainous scape in the background rendered in the artist’s signature sublime monochromatic grey tones frames the various amalgamation of buildings extenuating the skyscraper HSBC head quarters on the left. This backdrop contrasts greatly with the cruises and fishing boats that have historically been a trademark of Hong Kong as a fishing port and a stage of international commerce. The artist has deliberately imbued this sight of the prosperous business developments of the city with a munificent dexterity through the utilization of vibrant colors including yellow, red, blue and green. Pang’s often referenced the Beethoven in his writings on artistic techniques in his publications. In this regard, one could almost hear the echoes of the Symphony No. 6 through the ambiance derived from the lyrical brushstrokes of the flowing vehicles on the highway, full of cadence and graceful flowing rhythm that transpires a sense of musicality deeply entrenched into the composition.
Incidentally, the compositional arrangement of the present lot not only captivates the current state of affairs in the beautiful city of Hong Kong, it encompasses the city’s many different facets as areas of established international commerce contrasts significantly with the tranquil greens of the forestry in the foreground. The potent lines and simple figuration composed of a freehand style of calligraphic strokes and rhythms enhance the composition with the ethereal beauty of Western tradition, while it is further imbue by Pang’s unique ability to capture the essence of his subjects through the employment of a freehand (xieyi) approach reminiscent of the late Qi Baishi. As Qi Baishi once posits, The art of painting lies in treading the fine line between likeness and unlikeness: if your work does not resemble your subject at all, you are just a cheat; if it resembles it too much, you are just producing kitsch. The resulting pictorial effect is one that it is both modern and classical simultaneously, where the vicissitudes of time are transpires into a boundless poetic and peaceful scenery that parallels the Classical Literati Tradition. The essential element that lies at the core of Pang's artistic practice is the way in which he observes and expresses his subject matter in the objective world, embodying his thoughts, inspirations, and feelings that remains endearing to Pang’s heart.