LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil On Canvas

Measurements:

39.37 in. (100.00 cm.) (height) by 27.56 in. (70.00 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Signed in Chinese and Pin Yin dated 1945（lower left）

Provenance:

PROVENANCE： Acquired from Belgian private collection.Spreading the scroll of China’s modern art history in the 20th century， Sadji ’s name has been through ups and downs in the waves of times. But every time when it emerges， it radiates dazzling lights. Following the path of Chinese ethnic oil painting， he eventually became a legendary painter of China.Early in his childhood， Sadji started his relentless pursuit of the dream of painting. Enrolled in the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts in 1932， has was imprisoned the following year because of the chaotic political situation. Then he transferred to Hangzhou West Lake Art College to continue his art career. In 1937， Sadji learn painting under Xu Beihong， thanks to whom he was recommended to further his education in the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles， in which he fully demonstrated his artistic talent. In this period， Sadji ’s painting style and theme were significantly influenced by ARBA-ESA. Moreover， under the expert guidance of the neo-realist painter Alfred Bastien， who was the director there， Sha systematically explored the traditional European art， and then absorbed the techniques and modeling of Impressionism on the basis of Flemish School. Eventually， he constituted his own art vocabulary， which is quiet and simple， free and authentic， demonstrating a profound understanding and genuine appreciation of realism. Winning the“Golden Award for outstanding fine art artwork”，his works have appeared on the same stage with Picasso and other European modernist masters. Girl Playing Flute， one of his famous works， was purchased by the Royal Family of Belgium in 1942. At that time， he made his reputation in Belgium painting circle as a promising young painter.This work，“Portrait of a Classmate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts”was created by Sadji during his overseas studies. With the theme of his experience of studying in ARBA-ESA， he painted a young girl with brown hair wearing a long blue dress， presenting a different scene of the artist’s study life abroad. In the picture， the girl standing against the high stool looks at the front while tilting her head. Her deep eye sockets and Roman nose show distinctive national appearance characteristics， while her high bun reflects the fashion of the specific period， complementing well with the classic blue dress， which together presents the independent figure of a modern woman. In terms of the background， Sadji did not use the plane rendering technique of classical portrait， but the free brush strokes of expressionism， thus creating an unreal space that is ever changing. The soft ochre and deep brown color set off an elegant and calm atmosphere in the upper half of the picture. While in the lower half of the picture， the flame-like jumping turquoise and orange break the continuity of space， forming a visual field in which colors conflict and blend with each other behind the character. This is how the picture reveals the light of modernism by a daily portrait of a girl student in the academy.Shui Tianzhong once said，“If we are going to name any artists with unique characteristics in China in the past 100 years， Sadji would definitely deserve a place on the list.”He did not rely on the power of avant-garde groups， nor did he stood in the center of the tide. But he managed to inscribe his name on the plate of China’s art history.