Lot 9: Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987) A Mountain Escape

Fan Chang Tien (1907-1987)
A Mountain Escape
1980

signed with three seals of the artist, dated gengshen year (1980)
ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll

140 by 34.5 cm.
55 1/8 by 13 5/8 in.
For further information on this lot please visit the website

Provenance
Private Collection, Singapore
Literature
Heng Ngee Hwee, Teresa, Fan Chang Tien: The Literati Artist, Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd, Singapore, 2014, p.90-91.
范昌乾
隱居佳境一九八〇年作
款識：疊峰茂林眼底明，非同時態獨成生。聽得拙理教誰判，法則莫圖利祿名。庚申年（1980）元宵節前畫並題句，范昌乾。鈐印：園丁、昌乾、怕俗看水墨設色紙本 立軸
來源
新加坡私人收藏
出版
王霓輝，《范昌乾詩書畫》，Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd，新加坡，2014年，頁90-91
A Mountain Escape
Lofty mountains, dense forest before me lay,Not the usual scenes of any mundane day. Pass your judgement on my humble name, Not by the yardstick of gain or fame.
Born in Jieyang, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, Fan Chang Tien is recognised as one of Singapore's most influential pioneer artists. His oeuvre is true to the traditions of Chinese literati painting (wenren hua) and demonstrates his mastery over the 'Three Perfections' in Chinese art: poetry, calligraphy, and painting.
After graduating from Shanghai's Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in 1928, Fan furthered his studies at the Changming Art Academy. He studied under the guidance of renowned Shanghai School (haishang huapai) artists, including Wang Yiting, Zhu Wenyun, Pan Tianshou, as well as Wang Geyi, a direct disciple of Shanghai's Chinese ink painting master Wu Changshuo. After Fan moved to Singapore in 1956, he not only brought fresh dimensions to the local art scene but also shaped the development of Chinese ink painting there. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to nurturing a new generation of artists; many of his students became established ink painters in Singapore.
As a successor to the Shanghai School tradition of xieyi painting (the 'sketching ideas' genre), Fan subtly employed fluid lines and spontaneous brushstrokes to convey the idea of harmony between human beings and nature in his work. Renowned for his ink paintings of bamboo symbolising a gentleman's virtues, Fan was also well-versed in landscapes and flower-and-bird paintings. His art skilfully integrates pictorial imagery with calligraphic strength and poetic inscriptions expressing his inner thoughts.
The sophisticated composition of A Mountain Escape invites the viewer to fully immerse in its poetic setting and wander up the beautiful landscape. In this work, the essential elements of Chinese landscape paintings—mountains, trees, rocks, a river, and a waterfall—are all present and rendered with balance and rhythmic vitality, capturing an awe-inspiring moment in nature. The poem inscribed in the painting's upper-right corner shows Fan's humble and introverted character of not seeking fame and gain during his lifetime. His solid training in Chinese calligraphy and ink painting is also reflected in Wild Hibiscus and Eight Fish, where his seemingly effortless brushwork catches a fleeting and carefree moment of fish in motion. Moreover, this work contains a witty and humorous inscription that reveals Fan's great sense of humour. The subjects depicted in the painting—hibiscus (furong; wealth and glory), fish (yu; surplus a... For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website