Lot  636 Ravenel Spring Auction 2020

Ravenel Spring Auction 2020

Bamboo Grove beside Running Stream

ZHOU CHENG (Taiwanese, 1941)

2004; 2002

Ink and colour on gold-flecked paper and paper, scroll

35 x 93.5 cm;35 x 366 cm

Estimate

TWD 190,000-300,000

HKD 49,000-77,000

USD 6,300-10,000

CNY 45,000-71,000

Sold Price

TWD 504,000

HKD 132,283

USD 17,050

CNY 119,431


Signature

Signed CHUN BO ZHOU CHENG in Chinese
With three seals of the artist and three seals of a friend of the artist

+ OVERVIEW

Zhou Cheng once mentioned, "Mountains and rivers do not have sentiments. They only have feelings when they are with humans. The more the interaction, the deeper the sentiments." This artist has trod over the countryside of Taiwan, the US and China. His sentiments towards the land came from his adolescence. As an artist, he painted Landscapes as a tribute to Nature itself. The rugged relief, vast lakes and deep valleys are depicted by the movement of wrists and the brush, with a combination of ink and colours. Viewers can feel the liveliness of the woods. This is the uniqueness of the artist.

This work depicted the bamboo grove after rain in a long scroll, spreading up to 789.5cm long. The title "Thousand Bamboo under the Rain" prepares the viewers for a luscious scenery. Starting from the right, the viewer opens the scroll and follows every scene while unfolding the scroll. The viewers would have an overall picture once they finish. From the right, a solitary bridge, a tranquil lake and fresh green bamboo grove stand before the eyes. A blooming plum blossom breaks the silence, as the viewer looks forward to the blossoming Spring. A few houses hide behind a few plum blossoms facing towards a waterfall. This scene echoes with a poem by Wang Wei "Amidst the rain in a forest, waterfall poured from the tip of the trees." This poem was sung by Zhou Cheng praising the beauty of nature while trodding along the hiking trails.

Next to the lake, a scholar is tidying up his boat ready to set off his hiking trip. Passing through a dense bamboo grove, a group of frightened birds flew towards the sky. Following the birds to the next scene, an old pine stands next to a dilapidated hut. A man sits quietly meditating. He is surrounded by bamboo. But he is not alone. Zhou Cheng once said, "I rest under a tree, and listen to the birds. A running stream whispers in the smothering heat, clouds linger on the peaks." Imagine the seated old man as the artist himself, then he might be listening to the chirping birds, the squeaking insects and the whispers of a running stream hidden in the grove. Further to the left, a trail leads into the unknown. Here, the scroll has stopped, but the story has yet to be finished. The viewer is led further up to the meandering river and back to the group of frightened birds, up and away into the horizon, beyond the painting into the audience's imagination. Using the structure of the long scroll, every scene has its own unique story. Narrowed space might sometimes limit the expression of the artist, but he cleverly made use of this structure to create endless scenes that form a continuous picture.
Related Info

Refined Brushwork: Fine Chinese Paintings

Ravenel Spring Auction 2020

Saturday, July 18, 2020, 2:00pm