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Lot Essay
“On painting blue-and-green landscapes... I stopped for a while before picking it up again. If I could resolve the fundamental problems that caused my previous failure, I would be very encouraged. If not, I would tear up my paintings with anger and hatred. Yet, I would not give up. I must keep painting until I master the technique because I love blue-and-green landscapes so much. Under such situations, I would destroy some paintings while painting some new ones. Whenever I got annoyed thus needed time to calm down, I would study the extraordinary examples by the ancient masters. I went through numerous cycles as such - I would feel excited to paint one second and lose all interest all of a sudden. When I look back now, it has been quite a struggle for me to achieve the current level in my blue-and-green landscapes.” —He Tianjian
Among artists during the era of the Republic of China, He Tianjian was renowned for his energetic and glorious landscapes. Such fame is solidly attested by the present work Longevity Crane Flying over Blue and Green Mountains. He takes on a full-depth composition: precipitous cliffs tower in the middle ground, one on each side, creating opposing tension. White clouds running through the gullies and hills bridge the mountains from afar and the ancient trees closer to the viewer. The waterfall, painted as if suspended in the air, stirs up splashes and fine mists, bringing a sense of ethereality to the landscape. In the foreground, the hatted man casually sits on the ground, contemplating the green mountains in front of him and enjoying the chirp of the crane.
Ever since he began his training in Chinese painting, He had modelled masterpieces by Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming. The style of the Wu School—elegant, calm, carefully composed, and with the perfect combination of strength and flexibility—had always been his beloved one. In terms of his palette, the blue-and-green landscape genre was his favourite. He further distinguished the genre into Grand Blue-and-green and Small Blue-and-green Landscapes. With the rich blue on the main peaks in the middle ground and on the two rocks where the pines are rooted, the present work is an outstanding example of his Grand Blue-and-green Landscape. The artist used the method of Feise (colour-flying), in which he used indigo-blue as the base with stone-blue applied on both front and back of the silk support. Finally, he laid on indigo-blue to blend out the paint. As a result, the colour is at once dense and lively. He intentionally used a softer variation of green, brown, blue-black and ink-black on the rocks, plants, water and clouds. By doing so, the blue stands out from the rest with an incredible radiance that is—as He puts it—“almost blinding.”
It is plausible that He Tianjian particularly favoured this specific blue pigment in the present work. In the inscription on the painting, he pointed out that the blue colour pigment was of “gold-spark Peacock class; the price is a few times higher than regular Malachite. ” Lazurite is one of the most expensive colour pigments and has long been deemed as the most precious and noble colour pigment in both Eastern and Western art traditions. It is seen in ancient Egyptian art, Dunhuang cave murals, and oil paintings during Renaissance Europe. The use of Lazurite also symbolizes wealth and the highest social status. His choice of silk as his painting material also suggests his emulation of the ancient virtues.
Among artists during the era of the Republic of China, He Tianjian was renowned for his energetic and glorious landscapes. Such fame is solidly attested by the present work Longevity Crane Flying over Blue and Green Mountains. He takes on a full-depth composition: precipitous cliffs tower in the middle ground, one on each side, creating opposing tension. White clouds running through the gullies and hills bridge the mountains from afar and the ancient trees closer to the viewer. The waterfall, painted as if suspended in the air, stirs up splashes and fine mists, bringing a sense of ethereality to the landscape. In the foreground, the hatted man casually sits on the ground, contemplating the green mountains in front of him and enjoying the chirp of the crane.
Ever since he began his training in Chinese painting, He had modelled masterpieces by Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming. The style of the Wu School—elegant, calm, carefully composed, and with the perfect combination of strength and flexibility—had always been his beloved one. In terms of his palette, the blue-and-green landscape genre was his favourite. He further distinguished the genre into Grand Blue-and-green and Small Blue-and-green Landscapes. With the rich blue on the main peaks in the middle ground and on the two rocks where the pines are rooted, the present work is an outstanding example of his Grand Blue-and-green Landscape. The artist used the method of Feise (colour-flying), in which he used indigo-blue as the base with stone-blue applied on both front and back of the silk support. Finally, he laid on indigo-blue to blend out the paint. As a result, the colour is at once dense and lively. He intentionally used a softer variation of green, brown, blue-black and ink-black on the rocks, plants, water and clouds. By doing so, the blue stands out from the rest with an incredible radiance that is—as He puts it—“almost blinding.”
It is plausible that He Tianjian particularly favoured this specific blue pigment in the present work. In the inscription on the painting, he pointed out that the blue colour pigment was of “gold-spark Peacock class; the price is a few times higher than regular Malachite. ” Lazurite is one of the most expensive colour pigments and has long been deemed as the most precious and noble colour pigment in both Eastern and Western art traditions. It is seen in ancient Egyptian art, Dunhuang cave murals, and oil paintings during Renaissance Europe. The use of Lazurite also symbolizes wealth and the highest social status. His choice of silk as his painting material also suggests his emulation of the ancient virtues.