CHINE. Lin Fengmian (1900-1991) Lot n° 23

Pavilion under the pines Ink and colour on paper. Signed lower left. 38 x 39 cm with view Framed under glass. LIN Fengmian (1900-1991) is one of the most famous Chinese artists of the 20th century. Coming from a family of stonemasons, he began to paint when he was only five years old. He lost his mother at the age of seven. At the age of fifteen, he passed his entrance exam to the Meizhou Provincial School. He was one of the first Chinese artists to study in France from 1918 to 1925, first in Dijon and then in Paris. Upon his return to China, he held several important official positions: President of the Beijing National Academy of the Arts, Director of the Hangzhou Academy of the Arts. During about 80 years of artistic creation, LIN Fengmian has acquired a national reputation since his youth. He also lived through the most cruel periods: from August 1968 to December 1972 in particular, he was put in prison and mistreated. He enjoyed international fame during his last years. Despite the vagaries of life, LIN Fengmian has remained faithful to his principles, stated at 36 years old: love nature, distance from money and fame, being an observer, working diligently to be a true artist. By wanting to be different from other famous Chinese painters of the 20th century, such as QI Baishi, XU Beihong or HUANG Binhong, LIN Fengmian sought to create a style that would distinguish itself from both traditional Chinese painting and modern Western painting. In search of a perfect fusion between these two genres of art, he chose the most difficult path and succeeded. Perhaps that is why the few great modern Chinese painters known internationally, such as Zao Wou- Ki, Wu Guanzhong and Chu Teh-Chun are all students of LIN Fengmian. He abandoned the principle: "the harmony of calligraphy, painting, poems and stamp" which is the most important principle of Chinese painting since the 13th century and leaves a simple signature on a corner