PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Taipei

For many Chinese literati and painters, the orchid was regarded as a fragrant herb, a cultural symbol that denoted elegance and gentility. As a representation of the pursuit of character and moral strength, the orchid was both an aesthetic object as well as a carrier of sentiments and emotions.

Often commended as the Matisse of the East, Ding went to Japan and studied Western painting at Tokyo College of Fine Arts early in his career. He was particularly fascinated by the style of Matisse, the celebrated fauvism master, during his time in Japan. He began to reform traditional Chinese painting after returning to China by advocating the New Art Movement. He asserted that art should be a return to its origin, and believed that the artistic forms should be as simple and naïve as children’s doodles while their content should be as profound and complex as possible in their guileless conveyance of boundless meaning. He further exalted the propensity towards simplicity and exaggeration of works by Bada Shanren, who, working with brushstrokes as artless as spontaneous doodles, had the ability of turning a touch into a mountain and a stroke into an elephant. Ding skillfully employs various shades and densities of ink in the manifestation of masterly skills and dynamic brush strokes.

This work was an endeavor to expertly contour the lines, and features iconic Chinese bird-and-flower and landscape painting techniques complemented by his mastery of the calligraphy and seal carving arts. Liberal calligraphic strokes are naturally subsumed into the structure of the painting while wisteria vines and orchids infuse a sense of vivacious refreshment. Bold, confident brush strokes clearly delineate the contours of mountains and fragrant herbage upon a novel layout that ingeniously retains blanks on the canvas so as to illustrate a profound artistic intention. With its portrayal of fragrant dew and refreshing breeze, the painting reveal a sense of esoteric, tranquil Oriental charm.