LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil On Canvas

Measurements:

29.13 in. (74.00 cm.) (height) by 21.26 in. (54.00 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Signed in Chinese Dated 1932（lower right）

Provenance:

PROVENANCE： Previous Collection of Huang Xianzhi.During his painting career， Wu Zuoren religiously adhered to the artistic philosophy and values of“writing techniques are not fixed， and art is for the sake of life”and conducted continuous practice and exploration. His integration of Chinese and Western art through work that displayed concise and accurate brushwork， and through the promotion of art to reflect the true feelings of emotion opened up a new world for modern Chinese painting. A Girl Carrying a Basket， which was one of the few works created by Wu Zuoren when he studied in Europe， is a portrait of a European. His style follows rigorous European classical realism with a vivid， yet accurate structure and a basic， serene color scheme. Through his art produced during this time period， the influence of the Flemish School of Art can be seen. During wartime， he gave this painting to his friend Huang Xianzhi in Chongqing. AGirl Carrying a Basket also symbolized the wonderful blossoming of a profound friendship.After entering the Department of Architecture of the Suzhou Industrial College at the age of 19， Wu Zuoren met Xu Beihong at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Artsin 1927. In the Spring of 1928， he entered into Shanghai Nanguo Fine Arts College and then in the autumn moved to study at the Department of Arts of National Central University. Mentored by Xu Beihong， Wu Zuoren honed his sketching skills， which laid solid underpinnings for his subsequent oil painting creations. Afterwards， in 1930， he went to France and entered the école nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris. Shortly thereafter， the prominent painter was enrolled by the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles. In his second year of enrollment during the summer oil painting conference， he won the gold medal and the crown. Due to his incomparable talent， Wu Zuoren came to own his personal studio complete with free paints. Soon he became one of the best students in Belgium. During his early stages of painting development， Wu Zuoren chose to explore the realism of art， and in the process， he displayed his flair for Western classical art with its perfect modeling and full colors. His dazzling paintings are teeming with profound feelings about daily life and are highly lyrical， vividly illustrating contemporary times and his own distinctive personal style. Later， he showcased aesthetic displays of color by adopting both the impressionist and the post-impressionist style. At the same time， he left not one iota of doubt aboutthe maturity of his painting style as he fully leveraged the charm of traditional Chinese painting in his works to fully integrate Eastern and Western artistic styles.In the artist’s early portrait oil paintings， the influences on Wu Zuoren， from the Van Eyck brothers of the 14th century， who were the trailblazers of Nordic oil painting， could be clearly noticed； the effects of learning from Rubens， Rembrandt and Vermeer were also quite evident. Images that felt decisive despite the usage of flexible strokes all contribute to his natural and attractive creations. The central figure in the painting is a girl carrying a bamboo basket and wearing a square scarf wrapped around her golden brown curls. With the plain， decorative clothing on her chest as an example， all the details of the painting are forged with an audacious and vivacious style. In contrast to her bare， pale arms， the darker hue of her hands signifies the unceasing toil the character must endure day and night. Through the characterization of the external bodily appearance， the painter abandons tradition and cumbersome formalities in favor of refined， carefully selected， high-level generalization； in the process， the solid sketching acumen is on full display for the world to see. Under the loose， rich brushstrokes lies a colorful， vibrant image of the calm girl. She is composed and gracious. This kind of reserved demeanor jibes with her normal flows of emotion， as if to convey the vagaries of normal， real life experiences. Particularly for portraits， Wu Zuoren emphasizes“simplification”in his style of painting. Large cuts are used to create the outline for the human body structure. Due to the depth of his observation， a thorough analysis， and expert craftsmanship， the result is a profound exploration of realism that explicitly fuses lyrical and freehand brushwork to reveal a gradual maturation of his painting style.Wu Zuoren’s paintings generally are founded on the essence of classical style. Specifically， the whole simple picture is teeming with poetic beauty that embodies vitality through the purification of the soul. The background has a light tan color， and under the shadow of the person’s projection with the light emanating from the right side， the subject’s image is subtly enhanced， the ramification being that the entire brushwork has become a naturally attractive picture. Without a sharp juxtaposition between light and dark， the use of color transformation helps construct a conduit to shuttle between realism and the poetic realm. A stunning visual contrast from the red and blue color blocks serves to accentuate the vibrant costume of the girl. At the same time， the embedded white color allows for an overall stabilizing balance in the picture that placates the inherent conflict in the contrasting blue-red color scheme. The overall style is pronounced after these subtle nuances have had ample opportunity to coordinate and create appropriate synergy.Ai Zhongxin once commented that，“Wu Zuoren is one of this century’s most unique pioneers and representativesof the developing Chinese oil painting movement.”The quintessential example of Wu Zuoren’s early portraits， A Girl Carrying a Basket boasts the characteristics of lyrical and freehand brushwork. He focused on something bigand tried to extract preciseand deep insight into ordinary characters， thereby bringing out a strong feel of those contemporary times. When creating paintings， Wu Zuoren always adhered to the cultivation of artistic excellence and the principal that“writing techniques are not fixed， and art is for the sake of life.”A stunning metamorphosis in modern Chinese painting was greatly facilitated by Wu Zuoren’s continuous development and exploration， the fusionof Chinese and Western art with concise and accurate brushwork， and the promotion of art to reflect true sentiment.