collection wealth the | art & style Cultural A new generation of Chinese artists are drawing inspiration from Western techniques to develop a new style. Kathryn Grant looks at three artists who embrace have successfully borrowed foreign ideas while remaining true to their cultural traditions.

Left: Old Pine in the Jingshan Park in Beijing, by Wu Guanzhong, estimate: $153,800–$192,300 Right: Mist Clearing after the Rain, by Zhang Daqian, sold for $743,600

20 art & style | the wealth collection 21 , by By the , by Lin Blending ink, water- ink, Blending Chinese Opera Series Water Water Bamboo Village , by Wu Guanzhong, sold for From From far left: – Madame Snake White Fengmian, sold for $772,720; Lake $889,200; Zhang Daqian, sold for $612,560 to and . an tive emo art Among his best works are a series of large-scale ink studies of flowering flowering of studies ink large-scale of series a are works best his Among artists Chinese 20th-century popular most the of one undoubtedly is Daqian using shapes, flowing and movement by characterised is work Fengmian’s In the 1950s and 1960s Daqian spent a long time outside China, where he he where China, outside time long a spent Daqian 1960s and 1950s the In expressionism influenced ly, Daqian at gre giving fluidity neity sponta his and spontaneity to his art. However, far from being purely abstract and and abstract purely being from far However, art. his to spontaneity and He brushwork. Chinese planned meticulously contains work his spontaneous, natural the depicting in interest Chinese traditional the to faithful remains also beauty. its and world extended painting flower of love His career. his in late produced plants pieces. striking most his of many in feature flowers and life, his throughout Picasso’. Chinese ‘the as to referred often is and Post-expressionism: Lin Fengmian with painting Chinese blends successfully and effortlessly Fengmian Lin traditional and calligraphy studied he Daqian, with As influences. Western the learn to France to travelled he 18 At age. young a from painting Chinese in interested became he where Germany to and painting oil of techniques post-expressionism. and painters classical European typical of Instead effect. Oriental an create to techniques expressionist Western lines, lively and bold create to pen brush the uses he brushstrokes, Chinese vivre. de joie of plenty and quality rhythmic a conveying Abstract came into contact with Western modern art, including abstract expressionism. expressionism. abstract including art, modern Western with contact into came fluidity emotive an giving greatly, Daqian influenced this that thought is It -

he 20th century greatsaw social and and in political China, upheaval this has necessarily been reflected in the preoccupations of the era’s embrac While China attempted to forge greata new artists. identity,

Later, Daqian’s meticulous and extensive study of early scroll paintings and and paintings scroll early of study extensive and meticulous Daqian’s Later, As Chinese artists learnt more about Western art they were faced with the the with faced were they art Western about more learnt artists Chinese As Buddhist murals in the cave temples in the abandoned Silk Road city of of city Road Silk abandoned the in temples cave the in murals Buddhist work. his in style hybrid a in resulted Dunhuang tuition. He was also trained in Chinese calligraphy and painting in Shanghai by by Shanghai in painting and calligraphy Chinese in trained also was He tuition. Ruiquing. Li and Xi Zeng loyalists, Quing the An exceedingly prolific artist of this period is Chinese master Zhang Daqian. Daqian. Zhang master Chinese is period this of artist prolific exceedingly An young a At tradition. in rooted is Daqian province, Sichauan Neijiang, in Born mother’s his under painting flower traditional in accomplished became he age they blended them with Oriental styles to create a new image of their their of image new a create to styles Oriental with them blended they world. traditional Abstract expressionism: Zhang Daqian dilemma of whether to approach their art with traditional or foreign methods. methods. foreign or traditional with art their approach to whether of dilemma discovering were they techniques new the apply to chose group pioneering A movements, Western from ideas Absorbing art. Chinese traditional produce to ing its traditional culture while finding a place for its the modern world, artistsalso struggled have their to new role. discover T art & style| the wealth collection evocativerepresentation. form,tone Suggesting more a favourof in pursue artists Chinese objectiveother manythe representation that tone.and colour eschewsof He contrasting and blending delicate and skilful fromhis derives art. Oriental byinspired drawsfromare he particular, variations tonal the East.the of In spirit the capture that images Chinese colours,inspiredabstract creates he of palette large modernism.a Western-Using towardsnod that paintings Chinese Western Wuproducespredominantly Guanzhong Guanzhong Wu modernism: Abstract Picasso.or Matisse as such painters figures,of groups great of reminiscentare Western of shapes,positioning the drawnand geometric roughlyof work,use regular his particularly Westernpainting. of confidence bold the with it combining and art Chinese of modesty and elegance the on respectivevisions. achievesdrawingbyHe this art,importantly,Chinese morebut and their of qualities stylistic the Westernjust not of layeringeffect. colouringtechnique that creates abeautiful coloursand gouache, he has produced adistinctive 22 The peculiar beauty of Guanzhong’sof beauty workpeculiar The his within qualities emotiveformal The and synthesis a createFengmian’s to strives art

illusion of light reflecting upon the water and the waterand the upon reflecting light of illusion fromthe West. an creates effect resulting The tincture,white opaque borrowedtechnique a with lines of number a out painting by sea the of Beidai all-encompassing.and sublimeIn is colour,of touch a or Guanzhong’s brush worka of flick effortless seemingly a with dimension and modern, globalised world it is developingnew is a modern,worldit globalised abstract,theand serene suggestionsGuanzhong. of Daqian,of rhythmicthe movement Fengmianof distinctive,encompassing fluiditybeautyandthe andEast of mix West,theirapproaches arehighly market.the Althoughtheiruniteswhatisthem innovationmodernism. embracing and while West,rootstraditional their to true remaining and East both of styles the drawon successfully that those are pieces interestingmore the of some Kong.Hong yearin a To Western collectors workstwice modern Chinese of sales nowholds Christie’sand decade overconsiderablypast the well. haveinterestvery and risen Prices haveartworksperforming Chinese been modern Christie’s,at department of sales saysrecent Chinese the in Lien,sales Ruben of head potential great with market A movementwaves.of As China increasingly finds itself part of a of part itself finds increasingly China As abundanceTherean worksis ofon artists and (1977), Guanzhong suggests the movement(1977),the suggests Guanzhong Seascape at Seascape these works.these arecollectors,For paintings these of quality and scarcity the to due higher much go to potential the has and rising already is art Baishi.Qi and Guanzhong Daqian,by pieces up Fengmian,snapping movement,new this appreciate to starting are perspective.time,same elite the Chinese At the world,global froma culture their reassessing identity.new this embracing are too artists Its Hamlet may well turn into a sound investment.sound a into maywellturn executed,skilfully valuableworksculturally that As a result, the value of Chinese contemporary result,contemporary a Chinese As valueof the , by Lin Fengmian, sold for $947,440 for sold Fengmian, Lin by , n

All images courtesy of Christie’s Hong Kong