PRICE: $61,250

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the Artist by Donald Marshall Sutherland (1916-2016)
By descent to the present Private Collection, Toronto

邵一忠 (Donald Marshall Sutherland, 1916-2016) 先生旧藏，购藏自画家本人，后由家族递藏

Ink and colour on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll. Signed Baishi Laoren, with a dedication to Mr. Shao Yizhong (Donald Sutherland) and two seals of the artist, "Qi Da" and "wu nian ba shi ba (at age eighty eight)," dating the work to 1948. Also included in this lot is a Wang Qingfang (1900-1956) ink and color on paper hanging scroll painting. Signed Mangdang shanren Wang Qingfang, dated 1947, with inscription and an artist's seal.

Qi Baishi, one of the most prominent figures in modern Chinese painting, is celebrated for his striking expressiveness, embraced in his fluid brushwork that emphasizes simplicity and spontaneity over rigid detail. The artist’s career unfolded amidst the turbulence of war, bridging feudal and modern China, achieving distinction in all four highly regarded disciplines of painting, calligraphy, poetry, and seal carving.

His later style drew inspiration from late Ming expressionist masters, particularly Bada Shanren and Xu Wei. Whether shaped by his rural upbringing or the artistic influences he encountered, while his contemporaries revolve their creation primarily around landscape, Qi Baishi embraces nature’s common objects as the theme of his art. Fish and prawns, flowers and insects were all favored in his repertoire. He believed in the artistic power to elevate the ordinary, revealing beauty in aspects of nature cherished by the common people but often overlooked by the literati.

The present scroll of Wisteria stands as a testament to his mature style and his belief, with alluring hues of purple interspersed among a dynamic rendering of wet splashes of foliage and drier, inky vines—a fleeting beauty of ordinary nature.

Also included in this lot is a painting by Wang Qingfang, a contemporary of Li Kuchan and a close friend of Qi Baishi, who taught alongside him at the National Art School in Beijing. Though highly skilled in painting, he also mastered seal carving and created countless seals for Qi Baishi, who, despite excelling in the same discipline, greatly admired his talent.

Born in Canada, Donald Marshall Sutherland (Shao Yizhong) was a lieutenant commander of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, and eventually became the assistant curator of the Far Eastern Department at the Royal Ontario Museum. After returning home from serving in World War II, Sutherland enrolled in the College of Chinese Studies in Toronto and in 1947 he traveled to China to further his studies of Chinese language and arts. While studying in Beijing at the College of Chinese Studies, Sutherland took classical Chinese painting lessons from Pu Ru (1896-1963). He also became interested in modern Chinese paintings and developed an admiration for Qi Baishi and his works. After visiting an art exhibition in Beijing in April 1948, he wrote, “The things I liked best were by Peiping’s grand old man of modern painters, Ch’I Pai-shih (Qi Baishi), a man of over eighty who paints flowers, fish and fruit in juxtaposition, and often chickens which are done with a freedom of brush stroke which is actually exciting to look at.” Donald Sutherland became friends with the artist and eventually purchased six of his paintings. The present painting of Wisteria has been in the continuous possession of Donald Sutherland and his family since he acquired them.

Please note: the Wang Qingfang painting measures 25 1/2 x 12 3/8 inches.

紫藤 设色纸本 立轴
题识：邵一忠先生雅正。白石老人作。
钦印：齐大、吾年八十八 (1948)

随附一副王青芳 (1900-1956), 山水立轴 设色纸本
题识：贪污心不见，只有蒋山青。三十六年五月芒砀山人王青芳写意。

中国近代画坛大家齐白石，以其独特而浑然天成的写意风格闻名于世，笔墨洒脱明快，意境淳厚自然。其艺术生涯横跨动荡的封建王朝与现代中国，诗、书、画、印四艺皆卓然成家。晚年风格深受八大山人、徐渭等明末写意名家影响，却不拘于传统文人画的藩篱，而是忠于本真，不吝于将自己农户、木匠的出身与生活体验融入笔端。所作花鸟鱼虫、蔬果草木，皆乡野寻常之物，而他坚信，笔墨能展现这些易为文人忽略的通俗事物中，潜藏的意趣和美。 此紫藤立轴为其晚期艺术风格与理念之代表。枝叶以湿笔挥洒，藤蔓则以枯墨勾勒，紫花点染其间，浓淡相宜，表现出生动而富有层次的天然意趣。

王青芳 (1900-1956) 为李苦禅同时期书画大家，与齐白石亦相交甚笃，并同任教于北平国立艺术专科学校。除精擅绘画外，他亦精于篆刻，其中更以曾为齐白石镌刻大量印章闻名。齐老本人亦精于此道，仍对王青芳的才能推崇备至。

邵一忠（1916-2016）生于加拿大，曾于加拿大皇家海军服役，后来成为皇家安大略博物馆之远东艺术部的助理馆长。二战服役结束后，邵一忠进入多伦多的华文学校学习中文，并于1947年前往中国深造。在北京的华文学校学习期间，邵氏有机会跟随溥儒学习传统中国画，以致后来对近现代书画亦产生兴趣，其中尤其仰慕齐白石和他的艺术风格。1948年4月参观北京的一场艺术展览后，他曾在日记中记述“我最锺爱的是北平一位叫齐白石的年逾八旬的老者所画的作品，题材涉及花草鱼虫，他画小鸡时用笔非常自由，作品值得细细品味。”邵一忠后来成为齐白石的座上宾，并从画家处购得此作，由家族递藏至今。

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.