LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil On Canvas

Measurements:

25.00 in. (63.50 cm.) (height) by 38.19 in. (97.00 cm.) (width)

Description:

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Markings:

Signed in English（lower right）

Provenance:

PROVENANCE： Acquired from the artist’s relatives ZhaoYuzhi’s daughter Mrs Zhao Jinzhi；Christie’s Hongkong， 28 May 2006， Lot238.Li Tiefu， pioneer of modern canvas in China， is of great attainments in arts. He studied Western classical art intensively and interpreted his own aesthetic concept， not merely focusing on the delicate brushstrokes and the color effect of external light， but also fusing oriental artistic mood， so as to integrate the form and content of Chinese painting with those of Western painting. Li takes an irreplaceable position in China’s modern and contemporary history and art history because he is the pioneer not only in Chinese Western painting， but also in democratic revolution for donating all his wealth to the revolution.Deeply influenced by William Chase， Li Tiefu set his affection on still life. He once praised Chase：”Just like the fish which seems still tumbling， all his masterpieces are living and vivid.” Still Life represents one of the earliest styles in Eastward Spread of Western Culture with quiet and peaceful tableau and outpouring overpowering essence and charm， inspiring modern Chinese painting in both form and content.In 1885， Li Tiefu went to British Canada in North America， studying canvas at the Arlington Art School and Royal College of Art in the following two years. In 1904， Li was admitted to the American National Academy of Design and Art and taught by William Chase and John Singer Sargent during this period. Thanks to the two painters who have broken European Academic“fake classicism”style with sophisticated painting skills and been internationally reputed big names in portrait and still life， Li mastered the most mainstream classical painting techniques originating from the Netherlands and Italy at the time.In 1909， Li Tiefu assisted Sun Yat-sen in establishing Chinese Revolutionary League in New York and spreading the league into 19 regions. Concerned about the future of his country and his people， Li supported the domestic bourgeois-democratic revolution by funding the revolution with most of proceeds of his works auctioned abroad and many art awards， including many still life works.Still Life， showing a sense of classicism， seems to bring the viewers to a theater with strong contrast in the tableau， generally maintaining the Academic rigorous and solemn style in the utilizing of light and darkness and the landscape. However， Li Tiefu is adept in arranging the overall color effect according to the characteristics of each object and different of thoughts and emotions， instead of adhering to the monotonous and dull“brown tone”. Therefore， Li’s works can convey both the form and spirit of the objects in a various manner. Li’s color arrangement is powerful but not dazzling due to the subtle contrast by adding warm colors into the gray and cold keynote of the whole tableau. The lemon yellow on the belly of the fish， the thinly colored medium yellow and dark red on the fruit beside the dish helped Li to capture natural authenticity at that moment and integrate oriental artistic style， creating a quiet and elegant atmosphere.Li Tiefu has a special affection on the living and fresh objects when depicting still lifes. With profound understanding on the texture of the objects and an earnest and persistent heart towards art， Li generally adopts top-down composition， capturing the texture of objects in the frozen space， which cannot be achieved overnight. Like the ink droplets， the spots on the scales are well arranged； like the ink dyeing， the thinner color and the flexible and relaxed strokes shape the structure and transparent texture of shrimp in the dish. Onions， oranges and persimmon peppers on the desk embellish the canvas skillfully， embodying Li’s aesthetic taste of“rather clumsy than gimmicky， rather ugly than flattering， rather detached than slippery， rather frank and genuine than arranged”.