$16,640
1995 ink and watercolor on paper 68 x 68 cm (26 3/4 x 26 3/4 in. ) signed and dated upper center left, bearing a dedicatory inscription upper left, titled upper center right and upper center PROVENANCE Gifted by the artist to the mother of the present owner During the 1970s, Huang Yongyu began to move away from his previously established medium of woodcut printing into ink paintings of flowers, landscapes and birds. These same subjects were promoted by the Premier of the People`s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, as appropriate for the visual consumption by foreigners visiting the country, and so were used by members of the to decorate establishments patronized by international visitors. Meant to be beautiful and innocuous, the works were in direct contrast to the language used in art meant for the general Chinese population, focusing on inherently political Socialist Realist themes. It might be seen as surprising then, that Yongyu`s 1973 Hotel School painting of a winking owl caused the uproar that it did. The owl, as well as Yongyu`s now iconic paintings of the bird, have a complex cultural significance in China. Unlike the long-held view of the owl as a figure of wisdom in the West, traditionally in China, the image of the owl was filled with ominous connotations and seen as a harbinger of ill news. A popular Chinese saying implies that one is deliberately pretending not to see and ignoring wrongdoing, with some applying this interpretation to the facial expression of the wink Read more…
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2016-09-17
