LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil On Canvas

Measurements:

21.85 in. (55.50 cm.) (height) by 29.92 in. (76.00 cm.) (width)

Literature:

LITERATURE：Art Picture - Twelve Scenes of Beijing，Zhaohua Fine Art Publishing House（now People’s Fine Art Publishing House），1955；

Provenance:

PROVENANCE：Acquired directly from the artist’s family.REMARK：Signed by artist’s wife Ms.Wu Meiping， on the reverse.In 1955， the newly founded People’s Republic of China was eager to display its opulent prosperity through fabulous displays of artwork. To disseminate the new style and aesthetic appearance of the Chinese capital， Chaohua Fine Arts Publishing House （the predecessor of the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House） organized a group of famous artists who selected 12 famous Beijing landscapes as the theme. Twelve artists including Zong Qixiang， Wu Zuoren， Xiao Shufang， Ai Zhongxin， Sun Zongwei， and Wei Qimei were called upon to assist with the project. The resulting art pictures were printed and distributed. Up to now， most of the works that have not been lost have been donated to be featured in museums， while only a few remain in the hands of family members. One of these， Zong ’s Beijing Swimming Pool Center， was given back to the artist’s family after publication.Zong Qixiang was born in Nanjing， Jiangsu province in 1917. During his apprenticeship， his Mountains and Waters （Shanshui） painting was selected for the second national art exhibition of the Ministry of Education. After later being chosen to enter the Central University’s Art department in 1939， he then graduated in 1944. Zong was then hired by Xu Beihong as an assistant researcher at the China Academy of Fine Arts. Great suffering ensued as a result of the Cultural Revolution， and after the tumult had died down， Zong taught in the national Beiping Art College. The last two decades of his life saw a steady withdrawal from the center of the painting circle as the artist retreated south of the Yangtze River. There， the trio of Zong Qixiang， Li Ko-Jan， and Bai Xueshi founded the new style of Guilin Shanshui painting.As one of the four trailblazers of the new China painting reform， Zong Qixiang， together with Li Ko-Jan， Li Hu， and Jiang Zhaohe， created a novel， localized style for Chinese art. He was the first painter to make war-themed large-scale group paintings in new China and appeared in the first national art exhibition in 1949. During these chaotic times， he continued his unorthodox path by taking an unpaid leave from Beiping Art College to mentormany creative artists in the Third Field Army troops. A large Huai-Hai Campaign group painting， which ultimately became a valuable piece at the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution was the result of their collaborative efforts. The United Kingdom， the United States， Russia， and other countries also featured his works during this particular period. During Zong Qixiang’s long term art career， he also transcended the apparent limits of light and shadow in Chinese painting with his original night landscape， hailed by Xu Beihong as “a great innovation in Chinese painting.” Throughout all of the Middle Kingdom， Zong Qixiang was renowned as a famous pioneer of reformist art.In 1955， the newly founded People’s Republic of China was eager to display its opulent prosperity through fabulous displays of artwork.Chaohua Fine Arts Publishing House （the predecessor of the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House） organized a group of famous artists who selected 12 famous Beijing landscapes as the theme. Twelve artists including Zong Qixiang， Wu Zuoren， Xiao Shufang， Ai Zhongxin， Sun Zongwei， and Wei Qimei were called upon to assist with the project. Up to now， most of the works that have not been lost have been donated to be featured in museums， while only a few remain in the hands of family members.A rare oil painting commissioned in 1955 by Zong Qixiang， it was returned to the artist’s family after publication. Remaining in good condition， the masterpiece has remained out of circulation until now. Zong Qixiang， in contrast to the previous historical paintings， in Beijing Swimming Pool Center， painted an exquisite and lively brushwork that picturesquely depicted Beijing people’s leisure time in the summer. Children in the mushroom-shaped swimming pool frolic under a clear blue sky while indulging in the sunshine. Overall， the picture appears vibrant， relaxed， and full of possibility. Adding to the infinite vitality characteristic of Beijing are the lush trees in the distance， the electric wires and cables overhead， and the multifarious red slogans. Likewise， the traditional architecture， which is partially hidden behind the trees， reflects the long history of the city；on the other hand， whereas modern society is characterized by orderliness that is presented， innocence and beauty are also depicted， reminiscent of traditional paintings themed “a hundred joyful children” in the Song Dynasty. The viewer is nostalgically led by the seemingly oxymoronic combination of historical and contemporary aspects， as exemplified in the Beijing Swimming Pool Center， to a colorful， cool summer’s day.