- 545
Chen Yifei
Estimate
2,600,000 - 3,600,000 HKD
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Description
- Chen Yifei
- Bowing
- oil on canvas
signed in pinyin
executed in 1993.
executed in 1993.
Provenance
Private European Collection
Exhibited
Hong Kong, BaoQu Tang Gallery of Art, Spirits Calling - BaoQu Tang Gallery of Art: First Exhibition of Oil Paintings and Sculptures, April - May, 2006
Beijing, National Art Museum of China, 2006 China Realism Annual Exhibition, October 14 - 23, 2006
Beijing, National Art Museum of China, 2006 China Realism Annual Exhibition, October 14 - 23, 2006
Literature
Spirits Calling - BaoQu Tang Gallery of Art: First Exhibition of Oil Paintings and Sculptures, BaoQu Tang Gallery of Art, Hong Kong, 2006
China Realism, Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House, Shenyang, 2006, p. 18, illustrated in colour
China Realism, Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House, Changchun, 2007, p. 12 - 13, illustrated in colour
China Realism, Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House, Shenyang, 2006, p. 18, illustrated in colour
China Realism, Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House, Changchun, 2007, p. 12 - 13, illustrated in colour
Condition
The work is overall in good condition. Across the surface there are minor paint losses which are only visible under close examination. There is no evidence of restoration under UV light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Chen Yifei’s nostalgia of ancient China is often represented in his attention to details and portrayal of femininity. Bowing is of his typical romantic realist style, incorporating the elegance of the heroine with symbols of Chinese culture in one. In this painting the heroine is making an old hand gesture “wanfu”. According to ancient poetry and ceramic figurines of the Han and Tang dynasties, making wanfu is used by ladies to greet, and is a gesture full of gentle goodwill. The heroine is also holding a silk fan- unlike folding fans used by poets, scholars and philosophers in reclusion, silk fans were symbols of female beauty and refinement, and were used to shield the face of ladies.
Chen Yifei was hailed in the 1980s by New York Times and the Art Newspaper as a star of romantic realism. Although he studied in Hunter College in New York, his days in Shanghai College of Art set the corner stones of solid technical training in his renowned fine brushworks. One should not see Chen only as a brilliant realist painter. His ingenuity could be found in the grey background of Bowing unlike realist masters such as Caravaggio, whose use of black intensifies the drama in composition, filling the background with grey adapts the strength of black, while injecting the soulfulness of ‘void’ in Chinese Song dynasty paintings. The mystic grey surrounds the heroine like a hazy dream between fantasy and reality, while her timeless grace ligers between past and present. The essence of Chen’s everlasting nostalgia towards the old Shanghai is saturated in this delicate portrait of a lady.
Chen Yifei was hailed in the 1980s by New York Times and the Art Newspaper as a star of romantic realism. Although he studied in Hunter College in New York, his days in Shanghai College of Art set the corner stones of solid technical training in his renowned fine brushworks. One should not see Chen only as a brilliant realist painter. His ingenuity could be found in the grey background of Bowing unlike realist masters such as Caravaggio, whose use of black intensifies the drama in composition, filling the background with grey adapts the strength of black, while injecting the soulfulness of ‘void’ in Chinese Song dynasty paintings. The mystic grey surrounds the heroine like a hazy dream between fantasy and reality, while her timeless grace ligers between past and present. The essence of Chen’s everlasting nostalgia towards the old Shanghai is saturated in this delicate portrait of a lady.