Lot 230: PAN YULIANG

PAN YULIANG 1895-1977 HOME CONCERT Signed in Chinese and dated '57 (upper left) Ink and colour on paper 81.5 by 63.2 cm.; 32 1/8 by 24 7/8 in.

Sotheby's Fine Modern Chinese Oil Paintings, Drawings, and Watercolous, Taipei, Autumn 1997, Lot 169

Private European Collection
Private Asian Collection

In an article written in 1953, Xu Bei-hong offered the following opinions: "For three hundred years no artist has dared to tread in an unknown realm in search of natures beauty... alas, art has declined to an alarming level, and none stood up to the challenge of restoring its former glory, save for Madame Pan Yu-liang..." It is felt that more than anything, Xu Bei-hong was paying tribute to Pan's high moral character, drawing a parallel between Pan shouldering the burden of reviving Chinese art despite her humble beginnings, and her insistence on the Chinese art tradition despite its decline.

Demonstrating expressionism, the painting style of Pan Yu-liang is obviously influenced by Fauvism. While her terrific master of formalism can be observed from her still life paintings, she immerses Impressionism in her landscape art pieces --- her Pointillism is so fantastically employed that is highly recognized in the new Impressionism.

Pan is doubtlessly the most successful example of her generation of artists who attempted to integrated Oriental and Western cultures. Her steadfast dedication to her vision of raising the profile of Chinese art owed an enormous debt to her outstanding moral character, her humanism and her forthright and stubborn refusal to succumb to adversity and Western trends amidst the cruel competition in Paris art circles, despite her poverty and illnesses.