- 511
Yu Chengyao
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 HKD
bidding is closed
Description
- Yu Chengyao
- Landscape
- ink on paper, framed
signed in Chinese and marked with one seal of the artist
Provenance
Han Tang Yufu Collection
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 November 1994, lot 708
Private Asian Collection
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 November 1994, lot 708
Private Asian Collection
Literature
Sotheby's Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Sotheby's, Hong Kong, China, 2003, p. 100
Condition
Overall in good condition. There is restored paper loss to the upper right corner. Overall framed dimensions: 125 by 248.7 cm; 49¼ by 97⅞ in.
"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
Yu Chengyao, born in 1898 in Fujian, set aside his brush at an early age to join the National Revolutionary Army, and rose to become a General during the Sino-Japanese war. At the age of fifty-six in 1954, Yu created his first painting; he drew upon topographical knowledge from his military days, and painted nostalgic memories of China’s majestic landscapes in a realistic style. Inspired by his extensive travels, Yu looked to nature as his teacher.
As evident in Landscape (Lot 511), the mountains are outlined first and the dense vegetation and stone cliffs are then rendered in various densities of distinctive dry brushstrokes. While his lack of formal artistic training is widely known, his decades of cultivating the scholarly lifestyle of the literati through the appreciation of ancient poetry, calligraphy, and music greatly enhanced his explorations in painting. The idealized landscape is poetically composed of meandering streams amidst receding mountains while his distinctively textured brushstrokes provide a calligraphic rhythm to each mountain and ascending peak. His paintings exude a confidence in their brushwork and sense of structural design in composition that garner praise from his contemporaries and scholars alike.
As evident in Landscape (Lot 511), the mountains are outlined first and the dense vegetation and stone cliffs are then rendered in various densities of distinctive dry brushstrokes. While his lack of formal artistic training is widely known, his decades of cultivating the scholarly lifestyle of the literati through the appreciation of ancient poetry, calligraphy, and music greatly enhanced his explorations in painting. The idealized landscape is poetically composed of meandering streams amidst receding mountains while his distinctively textured brushstrokes provide a calligraphic rhythm to each mountain and ascending peak. His paintings exude a confidence in their brushwork and sense of structural design in composition that garner praise from his contemporaries and scholars alike.