Author: HU SHANYU 胡善馀

Size: 66×53cm

Signed and dated: --

Estimate:

Final Price: RMB 400,000

signed in Chinese
PROVENANCE
Poly Auction 2006 Spring Auction, A Historic Turning Point-Chinese Oil Painting in Japan, lot0852, Back Cover Work of the Catalogue

NOTE
The item is held under the bonded status, for more details, please see the Notice on Auction of Bonded Lots.

In exploring the manifestations of national traditions, I have made some attempts. For example, I often reduce the intensity of light and shade, and use general and simple techniques. Pursue the contrast and coordination of vividness and mutual relationship in color. The brush strokes should be smooth, the lines should express the texture, and even the thickness of the colors, the use of tools, etc., are all considered to achieve the beauty of the entire picture.
—Hu Shanyu

One of the earliest reformists of modern Chinese oil painting in the 20th century, Hu Shanyu attended the Hangzhou National Fine Arts College in his early years and became a protégé of Lin Fengmian. He went to France for a study program in 1930 and became a protégé of French figurative painter Lucien Simon. In 1935 Hu returned home and from then on engrossed himself wholeheartedly in painting and teaching. He devoted more than six decades to art, clinging fast to blending Chinese art style with Western art style to take advantage of the strengths of both while averting their shortcomings. Hu created Western oil paintings of landscape and still life and complemented with the tones of Eastern painting to endow the works with a whole-new appeal. Insomuch as his style is concerned, the artist succeeded in developing a unique genre of Chinese oil painting. A proponent of simplicity and naturalism, Hu introduced animation, concision, plainness and naturalness to his paintings which were limited to a narrow range of subjects. He was used to painting the same objects to observe their changes in light and colors from different angles, at different times and under different lights.
Purple Azalea was created in around the 80’s, beginning from which period Hu experimented with richer colors and livelier touches. His later works feature a typically concise style free of vulgarity. Purple Azalea portrays a warm, tranquil corner on the side of a window using plain touches. Impressing one with freshness, singularity and multiple gradations, the work presents a vase of purple azaleas in full bloom in contrast with a purplish curtain and a bluish wall as the background. The apparently simple but actually complex style strikes one deeply for elegance, beauty and attractiveness. A variety of brimming warm colors predominate and create a contrast between yellow and purple, purple and green, yellow and blue, and blue and purple. The subtle vivid nuances of colors suggest a harmony. Overall, the painting has a visual effect featuring flowing light and shadows. In this painting Hu borrowed from Impressionist light and colors and Matisse’s graphic decoration style while combining them with his still life painting experience to make a novel presentation of colors. Although his mainly focus was not on form, he did convey his feelings about life in the works.