Lot 225: YAN WENLIANG

YAN WENLIANG 1893-1990 WINTER SUNSET Signed in Chinese and marked with the artist's seal (middle left) Executed in 1947 Oil on canvas 68 by 105 cm.; 26 3/4 by 41 3/8 in.

China Life, No. 10, published by The China LIFE, printed by The K.&K. Printing Co., Ltd, Shanghai, July 1947, p. 18-19

Yan Wenliang's Winter Sunset is a museum quality example of the artist's work and one of the largest of his works ever to appear at auction. Hailed as the "founder of Chinese oil landscape paintings", Yan was influenced by French art having studied in Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts from 1928-1931. His works ingeniously combined his mastery of western classical realism school, the rich colouring change from the European impressionist school, and Chinese traditional art. It is his broadminded expression of colours that allowed him to recreate the beauty of a healthy, lively scenery, in which Yan skilfully and successfully combined natural views with the internal world of human feelings and expression. Though he did not pursue impressionism, he did strive for the proper use of colours in order to add significance, depth, and substance to his works. This parallels the school of impressionism on many levels.