Mr. Wu Zuoren is an important participant and promoter of the development of Chinese art in the 20th century. This autumn auction, China Guardian launched its rare work "Still Life" with the theme of armor in its early days.
There are very few still life paintings in the early circulation of Mr. Wu Zuoren, and only two works painted in armor have been seen so far. "Still Life", as a large-scale oil painting during the artist's stay in Bibi, has been circulated this time, and it is really rare for Yoshimitsu to be a feather. Mr. Wu Zuoren's exploration of Western oil painting and his grasp of personal style can be seen for the first time in "Still Life", which is an indispensable historical coordinate for understanding the evolution of the artist's oil painting artistic language and his conscious cultural stance, which is of great historical significance.
Wu Zuoren (1908-1997)
Still
1933
Oil on canvas
77×66 cm
exhibit
"Liu Kaiqu, Lu Sibai, Wu Zuoren Trio Group Exhibition", 1936, Library of Central University in Nanjing, China, Nanjing
source
Artist Huang Xianzhi's old collection
Christie's Hong Kong, 20th Century Chinese and Asian Contemporary Art, Lot 257, 29 May 2005
RMB: 7,000,000-8,000,000
In 1930, Wu Zuoren was admitted to the oil painting studio of Professor Simon of the National École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and in October of the same year, he transferred to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, where he studied under the famous Belgian Impressionist painter Alfred Bastien, and in 1931, he won the first place in the summer oil painting conference examination of the academy, and won the gold medal and the honor of laurel.
In 1934, Wu Zuoren and Professor Bastian were at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium
"Still Life" participated in the "Wu Zuoren, Lu Sibai and Liu Kaiqu Western Painting Sculpture Exhibition" held by Nanjing Central University in 1936, which is similar to the object depicted in the exhibition's other oil painting "Jia Ji" (now in the Wu Zuoren Foundation), with the same set, the same painting language and style. During his teaching at Nanjing Central University, Wu Zuoren made good friends with the painter Huang Xianzhi, and as Huang Xianzhi's old collection, he witnessed a particularly precious friendship between Wu and Huang at the time of their crisis, and although they experienced twists and turns, they were finally painstakingly preserved and reproduced in the world.
Photographed in 1936 on the banks of Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing, from right are Zhang Anzhi, Zong Baihua, Lu Sibai and Wu Zuoren
Wu Zuoren's early still life paintings are rare, and only two works painted in armor have been seen so far, which makes this "Still Life" more precious. In terms of theme and style, "Still Life" reveals the important influence of the teacher Bastion on Wu Zuoren. Bastião volunteered to join the Belgian army in world war I, creating many half-scenes and panoramic paintings that reflected the theme of the war, while Wu's paintings in armor at that time were most likely influenced by Bastião. In addition, although Bastião was a Belgian academic realist painter, he also actively absorbed many advantages of Impressionism in terms of color, and formed an artistic style with solid shapes and clear images. Wu Zuoren's "Armor" obviously inherits the realistic tradition of the Flemish School through Bastião, and draws on the impressionist technique of shaping the effect of light and shadow through brushstrokes, and at the same time, through personalized processing, strives to make the picture overcome the limitations of Nordic still life due to the pursuit of fineness, so that it can get rid of the shackles of objects, and then form a solid shape, rich and composed, with a brush free style, vividly portraying the texture of iron armor. As Bastion said of Wu Zuoren, "You are neither Flemish nor Chinese, you are an author full of personality." ”
Wu Zuoren, 1934 Oil on canvas
61×53.5 cm Collection of Wu Zuoren Foundation
"Still Life" has important historical value and significance for recognizing and understanding Wu Zuoren's artistic career. First of all, the European academic realism training that Wu Zuoren received during his stay in Europe laid the foundation for his future artistic development; as Ai Zhongxin pointed out, "Wu Zuoren's oil painting achievements have benefited from many places of still life painting." He likes to paint flowers such as spring, peony, and moon season, taking them fresh, beautiful and full of vitality. He also likes to paint utensils and armor of various textures, explore the life of inorganic matter, such as turning stones into gold, and painting more still life is also an effective way to hone the language of oil painting. In addition, Wu Zuoren's exploration of the localization and nationalization of the realist oil painting language after returning to China, and the lyrical style in his later oil painting art, can also be seen in the painting "Still Life", that is, in the study and practice of Western art, Wu Zuoren's artistic personality and cultural stance make it not blindly subordinate to the Western oil painting language, but constantly adjust and transform it according to the actual situation in which he is located, so as to form an artistic style with both personal style and the characteristics of the times. Therefore, "Still Life" actually provides an indispensable historical coordinate for understanding the evolution of Wu Zuoren's oil painting artistic language and his conscious cultural stance.
Wu Zuoren Partial view of Still Life