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Formerly in Hu Ding’an Family Collection (Lots 174-175)
FU BAOSHI (1904-1965)
Conversation by Pine Trees
Details
FU BAOSHI (1904-1965)
Conversation by Pine Trees
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
37.5 x 26.5 cm. (14 ¾ x 10 3⁄8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist
Dated autumn, twenty-first day, eighth month, jiashen year (1944)
Conversation by Pine Trees
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
37.5 x 26.5 cm. (14 ¾ x 10 3⁄8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist
Dated autumn, twenty-first day, eighth month, jiashen year (1944)
Provenance
Acquired from the family of Hu Ding’an.
Further details
Hu Ding’an (1898–1965) was a prominent modern Chinese medical practitioner from Wuxing, Zhejiang. He graduated from the Medical Department of the Zhejiang Provincial College of Pharmacy (the predecessor of today’s Zhejiang University School of Medicine) in 1919, and later pursued further studies in Germany, earning a medical doctorate from the University of Berlin Medical Faculty and the Prussian Institute of Public Health. Hu was widely recognized in China for his contributions to modern medicine and was at the highest echelon of scientists, diplomats, and cultural figures in mid 20th century China including leading figures such as Hu Shi.
In 1934, Hu Ding’an helped establish the Jiangsu Provincial College of Medical Administration (the predecessor of Nanjing Medical University), where he later served as both Dean and President. In 1939, as the war broke out, Hu oversaw the westward move and subsequent merger of the medical school from Nanjing to Chongqing, forming the National Jiangsu Medical College. Hu remained in Chongqing until 1948, when he departed for the United States to further his studies in medicine and eventually settled there.
The two paintings in this collection, created by Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi in 1942 and 1944 respectively, reflect Chongqing’s vibrant role as a major centre of artistic activity during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1942, following extensive travels across Southeast Asia, Xu Beihong returned to Chongqing to take up a teaching post at the National Central University (now Nanjing University), which had temporarily relocated to the wartime capital. Two Galloping Horses (Lot 174) is a dynamic composition dedicated by Xu Beihong to Hu Ding’an. Similarly, Fu Baoshi moved from Nanjing to Chongqing in 1939 with the wartime government, marking the beginning of what later became known as his celebrated “Jingangpo period,” widely regarded as one of the most fertile and transformative phases of his career. These two paintings bear witness to Chongqing’s emergence as the wartime capital of China in the early 1940s, and as a place that drew together many of the nation’s leading intellectuals and artists and fostered a remarkably dynamic cultural environment despite the pressures of conflict.
In 1934, Hu Ding’an helped establish the Jiangsu Provincial College of Medical Administration (the predecessor of Nanjing Medical University), where he later served as both Dean and President. In 1939, as the war broke out, Hu oversaw the westward move and subsequent merger of the medical school from Nanjing to Chongqing, forming the National Jiangsu Medical College. Hu remained in Chongqing until 1948, when he departed for the United States to further his studies in medicine and eventually settled there.
The two paintings in this collection, created by Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi in 1942 and 1944 respectively, reflect Chongqing’s vibrant role as a major centre of artistic activity during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1942, following extensive travels across Southeast Asia, Xu Beihong returned to Chongqing to take up a teaching post at the National Central University (now Nanjing University), which had temporarily relocated to the wartime capital. Two Galloping Horses (Lot 174) is a dynamic composition dedicated by Xu Beihong to Hu Ding’an. Similarly, Fu Baoshi moved from Nanjing to Chongqing in 1939 with the wartime government, marking the beginning of what later became known as his celebrated “Jingangpo period,” widely regarded as one of the most fertile and transformative phases of his career. These two paintings bear witness to Chongqing’s emergence as the wartime capital of China in the early 1940s, and as a place that drew together many of the nation’s leading intellectuals and artists and fostered a remarkably dynamic cultural environment despite the pressures of conflict.
Brought to you by
Carmen Shek Cerne (石嘉雯)
Vice President, Head of Department, Chinese Paintings