- 1361
YU FEI'AN | Narcissus and Bees
Estimate
900,000 - 1,200,000 HKD
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Description
- Yu Fei'an
- Narcissus and Bees
- ink and light colour on paper, hanging scroll
- 106 by 47 cm. 41 3/4 by 18 1/2 in.
signed FEI'AN, dated 1937, inscribed, with three seals of the artist, and one collector's sealINSCRIPTION:(Two poems)In spring of dingchou year, 1937, the narcissus blossomed. I painted several paintings after the style of Zhao Mengjian. It has been a most delightful event since the beginning of spring. Fei’an Yu Zhao.
Provenance
Sotheby's Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Paintings, Nov 1982, Lot 80
Exhibited
Hong Kong, Sotheby’s, Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from 20th Century Masters: The Goldbell Collection, October 2-6, 2015
Literature
"The Master of Birds - Yu Fei'an", published in Daguan Monthly, issue 7, Yamore Books & Publishing Co., Ltd., Taipei, Apr 2010, p.22
Collection of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Paintings –Yu Fei'an , Yamore Books & Publishing Co., Ltd., Taipei, December 2010, pl.13
Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from 20th Century Masters: The Goldbell Collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong Limited, October 2015, pl.4
Collection of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Paintings –Yu Fei'an , Yamore Books & Publishing Co., Ltd., Taipei, December 2010, pl.13
Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy from 20th Century Masters: The Goldbell Collection, Sotheby's Hong Kong Limited, October 2015, pl.4
Catalogue Note
Yu Feian often said that his paintings of narcissus were most inspired by the style of Zhao Mengjian of Southern Song dynasty. Yu’s family collection included a long scroll of narcissus by Zhao, and when he later saw Zhao’s Ink Narcissus at the Palace Museum, he was especially inspired. Yu was also fond of sketching from life and often incorporated his own observations into his works.
The present work was completed when Yu began exploring on fine-line painting technique. Narcissus and Bees depicts three young narcissus blossoms and their slender leaves through a combination of fine lines and light washes. Although the work is executed primarily in monochrome ink, the beautiful renditions of the narcissus’s ethereal elegance, their delicate stamens emit a pure fragrance which attracted a group of bees. The bees’ abdomens are embellished in gamboge yellow, and their wings rendered in light ink washes, exhibiting brisk fluttering movements which brings a sense of motion; one can almost hear them abuzz in this serene scene.
The present work was completed when Yu began exploring on fine-line painting technique. Narcissus and Bees depicts three young narcissus blossoms and their slender leaves through a combination of fine lines and light washes. Although the work is executed primarily in monochrome ink, the beautiful renditions of the narcissus’s ethereal elegance, their delicate stamens emit a pure fragrance which attracted a group of bees. The bees’ abdomens are embellished in gamboge yellow, and their wings rendered in light ink washes, exhibiting brisk fluttering movements which brings a sense of motion; one can almost hear them abuzz in this serene scene.