Lot 928: TAN HUAMU

TAN HUAMU
(1895-1976)
Landscape
signed and dated 'H. M. Tan 1928' in Pinyin (lower right)
oil on canvas
53 x 65.5 cm. (20 3/4 x 25 3/4 in.)
Painted in 1928

Collection of the artist Guan Liang
Private Collection, Asia

Guan Liang's work style was a combination of Realism and Impressionism, where influences from Manet Edouard and Claude Monet could be found. To illustrate the subject's vivid spirits, Guan Liang followed Bada Shanren to use simple yet precise brushstrokes to outline the objects, sometimes exaggerating the brushstroke to change shape to achieve an impressive visual effect. In comparison to his early works of delicate lines and light colors, Still Life- Flowers and Fruits (Lot 929) has strong coarse lines with emphasis on the aspects of composition, color, space and shades akin to western paintings. His bright and strong colors depict the pink peach-blossoms, green elegant vase and fresh fruits, applied with consistent layering of paint to attain an impressive feel. The shades of subjects are controlled through the various dry palette of ink. Alike Guan Liang, Tan Huamu was also influenced by the European Impressionism, adopting bold and free bush strokes to paint color and shades of nature in Landscape (Lot 928); this was in the former collection by Guan Liang as a symbolic entity for their friendship.

New generations of artists, such as one of the few Chinese female artist Guan Zilan studied Fauvism, cultivating the contrast and sensitivity of color palettes, which established her splendid painting style. House (Lot 931) is one of her earliest works, where she employs simple yet diverse contours in deep and pale color bring alive the painting with delicately crooked branches by the house. Her strong compositional awareness is also found in her toying with perspective, apparent n four tonal variance of the green palette to express the depth of the nature in Spring (Lot 930). Also fond of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Zhou Tingxu's acute awareness in contrast of bright and dark, cold and warm, intensity of the color palette granted him as a role in England Loyal Artists Association as the first foreigner. In Landscape (Lot 934), he expressed nature, imbuing the scene with his emotion, whereas an aura of tranquility is found in his illustration of a flower through his emphasis on perspective, bold strokes and abundant colors in Still Life (Lot 933). However in Lu Sibai's artistc realm, he mostly depicts daily life subjects in simple yet in natural style, fortifying his interest in the works of Paul Cézanne and Pierre Teihard de Chardin. Within the small frame of his canvas, Coastal Scenery (Lot 935) unravels an enchanting scene of the country in green and yellow, whereas The Soldier (Lot 936) frames an ordinary solider with amiable expression, in which we can distinguish Lu's appreciation towards the protagonist's duty to serve his people.