- 17
Qin Ai
Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 RMB
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Description
- Qin Ai
- Invitation II
- ink and colour on paper
signed and dated 2013 in Chinese, and marked with one seal of the artist, framed
Provenance
Private Chinese Collection
Exhibited
China, Beijing, National Art Museum of China, Hue Art in the Contemporary Era: The 9th National Exhibition of Chinese Hue Art Paintings, 2013
China, Beijing, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, New Ink: Chapter 1, 2013, p. 35
China, Nanjing, Shi Zhu Zhai Painting Pavilion, China's Future: Annual Young Painters Nomination Exhibition, 2014
China, Beijing, An Art Space, Custodians of the Heavens, 2014
China, Beijing, Today Art Museum, KSANA: Xu Hong & Qin Ai, 2015, p. 50
China, Beijing, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, New Ink: Chapter 1, 2013, p. 35
China, Nanjing, Shi Zhu Zhai Painting Pavilion, China's Future: Annual Young Painters Nomination Exhibition, 2014
China, Beijing, An Art Space, Custodians of the Heavens, 2014
China, Beijing, Today Art Museum, KSANA: Xu Hong & Qin Ai, 2015, p. 50
Condition
Overall in good 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."
"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
Qin Ai was born in Nantong, Jiangsu province. In 1996, she graduated from the fine arts department of the Nanjing University of the Arts with a major in traditional Chinese painting.
Qin Ai is considered one of the most important female artists in the field of contemporary gongbi, the fine and detailed realist technique in Chinese painting. She stages dramas of her own creation by combining the exquisite gongbi technique with surrealist motifs. Her paintings often feature animals such as deer, cranes, bears, and butterflies. These animals are juxtaposed with quotidian settings, forming a theatre of contrast between fantasy and reality. The animals express fear, anger, sorrow, tranquillity, and other emotions: the responses of the animal world to the actual development and growth of human civilisation. They also represent the hopeful but confused individual experience of dramatic societal growth and change.
In Invitation II, Qin Ai brings her theatre into an outdoor setting. A decorative taihu stone, itself a lyrical and abstruse symbol, seems yet more mysterious in Qin Ai's masterful gongbi rendering. Above it, fluttering butterflies and dimly visible bamboo leafs add layering and fullness to the composition of the picture plane. At the same time, the perfect balance of negative space leaves one with room to daydream within the scene.
Qin Ai is considered one of the most important female artists in the field of contemporary gongbi, the fine and detailed realist technique in Chinese painting. She stages dramas of her own creation by combining the exquisite gongbi technique with surrealist motifs. Her paintings often feature animals such as deer, cranes, bears, and butterflies. These animals are juxtaposed with quotidian settings, forming a theatre of contrast between fantasy and reality. The animals express fear, anger, sorrow, tranquillity, and other emotions: the responses of the animal world to the actual development and growth of human civilisation. They also represent the hopeful but confused individual experience of dramatic societal growth and change.
In Invitation II, Qin Ai brings her theatre into an outdoor setting. A decorative taihu stone, itself a lyrical and abstruse symbol, seems yet more mysterious in Qin Ai's masterful gongbi rendering. Above it, fluttering butterflies and dimly visible bamboo leafs add layering and fullness to the composition of the picture plane. At the same time, the perfect balance of negative space leaves one with room to daydream within the scene.