Pang Jiun (Pang Jun)

signed in Chinese and dated 2014; signed in Chinese and Pinyin, titled in Chinese and dated 2014 on the reverse, framed

Private Collection, Asia

This work is generally in good condition. Under ultraviolet light examination, there appears to be no evidence of restoration.
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Born in 1936, Pang Jun comes from a family of artists. His father Pang Xunqin and his mother Qiu Di were among the first generation of Chinese artists to study overseas, and they nurtured Pang's artistic development from a young age. At 13, Pang Jun entered the Hangzhou School of Fine Arts, and subsequently transferred to Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, from which he graduated aged 18, with distinction. During his time in the capital city, he was an active member and organiser of the Beijing Oil Painting Research Association. In 1980, he moved to Hong Kong, and then in 1987 to Taiwan, where he taught at the Taiwan University of Arts. His extensive experiences both as a practitioner and as an educator have earned him widespread acclaim for his oil painting. Further to appearing in the coveted publication Cambridge Who's Who, he also received a special award in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements.

In Scholar Building in Spring, imposing high walls of a building form a large part of the painting's well-balanced composition. The corners at the walls' top edges tilt slightly upwards, or, using the classical Chinese architecture vocabulary, tilt like "a horse raising its head" towards the sky. Three stone-carved windows with hollow patterns ("lou chuang") create a subtle division between the indoor and outdoor world. In front of the high walls, cherry trees are in blossom, a patch of green is visible beyond layers of white walls, contrasts against the blue sky, white clouds and lush green grass depict bright and harmonious spring time scenery. It rather evokes the atmosphere portrayed in Tang Dynasty literati scholar Bai Juyi's poem: "In the human domain, spring blossoms all disappear by April. Within the mountains and temple, cherry blossoms are just beginning their full bloom." In the painting, different levels of walls are drawn in straight, almost perpendicular lines, together forming a pattern that undulates with a rhythm and order of its own. Purely and simply, the black tiles and white walls divide the composition in a manner akin to geometric abstraction. The work exhibits a sense of rhythmic vitality, a state frequently discussed and pursued in Chinese aesthetic tradition; its fresh colours offer a vivid and lasting charm. The artist's application of line follows a rationality characteristic of Western oil painting, and simultaneously embodies the poetic spirit of Chinese literati painting. Infusing techniques from both artistic traditions, the work connects the modern and the classic, a masterpiece which aptly demonstrates Pang Jun's exceptional artistic achievements.