Lot 1022: YEE BON

YEE BON
(YU BEN, 1905-1995)
Suburbs Farm
signed in Chinese (lower right)
oil on canvas
71.5 x 91.5 cm. (28 1/8 x 36 in.)
Painted in 1976

Caves Art Centre, Yee Bon, Taipei, Taiwan, 1997 (illustrated, pp. 148-149).

In 1956, Yee was invited to visit Beijing and various places in China. Thereafter, he decided to move back to prosperous Guangdong with his family, with the hope to contribute in art further in China. . He had devoted himself to oil painting and tried to explore an art form that combines a sense of modernity and traditional Chinese style. He said, "I am always thinking that Chinese should understand more about our traditional art before learning the western counterpart as we need to integrate these elements together". In order to do so, Yee had continuously attempted, such as drawing ink painting on rice paper by using Chinese calligraphic pens. He did not intend to be a master in Chinese traditional painting; instead he just wanted to employ the drawing skills of traditional landscape painting to combine his national uniqueness in his own way. ISuburbs Farm (Lot 1022) was created in 1976, where Yee melds his passion for his nation into his canvas. In his composition, Yee employs a bird's eye view to broaden the horizon of the farmland. The endless large planes of bright green vegetable fields are fruitful results of the farmers, where all of them work ceaselessly during the season of harvest. The tractor and the irrigator symbolize the modernization of agricultural industry; while the high-rise buildings, factories and power plant in the distant view all respond harmoniously to the thriving scene. The rich content, delightful details and the splendidly rich and strong colour meld art and people together, composing a cheerful and optimistic melody.