Other Highlights

Qi Baishi’s Frolic Frogs (est. HK1.2-1.8 million)

Qi Baishi’s Frolic Frogs (est. HK1.2-1.8 million) hails from the private collection of his beloved disciple, Guo Xiuyi. Executed in 1951, when Qi was at the grand old age of 91, it reflects a sublime state of artistry, characterised by effortlessness and carefree brush technique. Though it appears like a casual sketch, the painting is more intricate in composition than other works of the same motif. Noted for his ingenious use of space, Qi’s layered approach to composition produces a subtle line of distinction between river water and coastline at the point where a frog head peeks out of water. Four tadpoles are seen swimming on the upper part of the painting; below them is a group of frogs along the river coastline, some facing each other directly as though gathered for a dialogue. A frog intent on joining its fellow creatures struggles to free itself as one of its limbs is caught in seaweed. Their various postures and demeanours, along with the pattern of congregation they form, make for an amusing snapshot. Qi creates an overlapping mass of ink dots in different shades to project a sense of dynamism. Mirroring the elderly artist’s sense of childlike wonder, this painting has eclipsed Frogs, another of Qi’s masterpiece now kept in the National Art Museum of China, in creative intent and spontaneity.

Boating on the Spring Lake , by Lu Yifei (est. HK$400,000–600,000)

Lu Yifei joined The Mei Jing Studio in 1938 to study calligraphy from Wu Hufan.Highly acclaimed for his flowers and birds paintings, he infused novel elements into his works to foster a truly unique style of his own while imbibing the influences of his artistic forebear. Compared to his works of the flowers and birds genre, which gained wide appeal in Shanghai art circles, Lu’s landscape paintings remain  extremely scarce.Boating on the Spring Lake (est. HK$400,000–600,000), executed in 1941, was inspired by a similarly-themed work of Wen Hengshan. Whether in composition and brush techniques, Lu’s painting remains impeccable. Here, landscape is expressed in fine details. A greater challenge for the artist, though, is conjuring the classical aura of Chinese landscape. By the artist’s mastery of brush techniques, trees and rocks are painted in vivid details and balanced proportions. Lu’s proclivity for milder colours has also resulted in shades of light green intertwining from each other, executed to a multilayered effect and visual harmony. Praised by Wu Hufan as a gem among Lu’s portfolio of works, it rivals the masterpieces of ancient masters in the traditional Chinese landscape genre.

Lu Yanshao’s Snowy Landscape (est.HK$500,000–700,000)

Very few paintings by Lu Yanshao  have been left to posterity. Rarer still are those indicated with 1909 as the year of completion. Lu Yanshao’s Snowy Landscape (est.HK$500,000–700,000) was completed in 1935, offering glimpse into his artistry from the early years. Lu learned his craft from Feng Chaoran at the latter’s studio. Although the brush techniques he learned from his predecessors were yet to be completely assimilated into his style, Lu purveyed a mix of grandeur and archaism in his works with a  aturity beyond his years. By the time when he revisited the snowscape motif in his works while in Sichuan, Lu had already established his own distinctive style, which offers an interesting contrast to this painting.

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