Lot 126
  • 126

Li Jin

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 RMB
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Description

  • Li Jin
  • Under the Shade
  • colour and ink on paper
signed in Chinese and marked with an artist seal, framed

Provenance

Private Collection, China

Condition


"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

Li Jin has been described as an artist who seeks to express the essence of Ruben in Chinese Ink Paintings. In his early work, Untitled, the subject’s torso  is enlarged to a highly exaggerated level, whilst the legs and feet are dramatically reduced, forming a sharp contrast between the delicate and the coarse in an image that serves as a striking example of his Rubenesque expression.

 

Describing Li Jin’s oeuvre, Michael Kahn-Ackermann commented that in Li Jin’s paintings, there is only one man – Li Jin himself. On the surface, the man in the paintings looks like a simple being, eating and womanizing like other men, but there is always a hint of concern and he is rarely enjoying himself thoroughly. Li Jin said that drawing himself was neither his intention nor a self-conscious choice; this image - a man with single eyelids, a large nose and a beard - was in fact developed unintentionally, a product of self-discovery. He described it: “(this man) is one person but there are two faces. By removing the beard, he becomes a woman. By giving him a beard, that person becomes me, a man. I’m interested in those sensitive, delicate feelings, such as the feeling of languidness, or a focused expression in one’s eyes, the subtle changes of expression in the eyes, or the nuance in one’s gaze.” This is the “Li Jin style” man/woman that we find in Untitled.

 

Li Jin believes that “all contemporary qualities must be attached to the artistic language. I am not seeking the extent of revolution in this language, but rather, I just want my thoughts and topics to evolve.” He insists that “what I’m doing now is to show concern for the contemporary society and for my own life, using traditional Chinese painting materials.” In The Bamboo's Whispers Roused Me From My Drunken Sleep(2003), Li Jin employs his highly developed skills with brush and ink, to present a variety of foods: roast duck, spring onions, fresh fish, braised meat and turnips are vividly conjured in a work that uses food to convey a strong sense of a common experience.