Lot 213: LI HUAYI

B. 1948
EARTH LANDSCAPE

41 1/3 by 70 in. 105 by 177.8 cm.

signed in Chinese, dated renwu (2002), and with four seals of the artist

ink and color on paper

EXHIBITED

Shanghai Art Museum, Gao Shan Liu Shui I - Contemporary Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, 2002, p. 33, illustrated in color

NOTE

Li Huayi is considered one of the finest in the world of contemporary Chinese ink painters. Following in the footsteps of the greatest 11th-12th century Chinese masters, Li has reinvented that inherited tradition, developing an innovative style based upon a deep understanding and practical mastery of the his materials. However, his training in Western art and a profound attachment to the actual landscapes he inhabits in Northern California have contributed to the unique qualities of his work. While the flesh and bones of Li's landscapes are thus rooted in both art historical sources and his own subjective experience, his works have a transcendent, even sublime quality.

From an early series of the late 70s and early 80s to his most recent work, Lots 213 to 216 provide a brief glimpse of this extraordinary artist's development. Li Huayi was honored with the first retrospective solo exhibition of a living artist at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in the spring of 2004, and his reflections at that time upon the various stages of his practice provide the most eloquent expression of his artistic goals and achievements.