Beschreibung:

Lot details China. Masterfully painted in a highly expressive manner with bold and vivid brushstrokes, characteristic for the artist, using exclusively black ink against a pure white background. Note the scattered remnants of preliminary sketch work below the final painting, and the distinct horizontal imprints from the edges of the supporting board – both peculiarities occasionally found on works from this artist. Inscriptions: on the upper left, “in the 37th year” (of the Republic of China, corresponding to 1948), and signed “Beihong”. Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Ivan Vodopija, acquired in China during a work trip for the WHO, according to a source familiar with the collection, and thence by descent to the last owner. Dr. Ivan Janko Vodopija (1925-2021) was a noted Croatian physician and expert in tropical medicine and vaccines. He worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) and conducted ground-breaking clinical research on vaccines in many countries. From 1995 to 2002, he was the President of the National Health Council of Croatia and in 2004, he was credited by the WHO for his significant contribution to eradicating polio. Dr. Vodopija was a passionate and eclectic collector of fine art, particularly paintings, and would frequently acquire works during his lengthy stays in foreign countries. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minimal soiling, little creasing. The silk brocade mounting with significant losses, possibly due to insect activity. Dimensions: Image size 109 x 40.5 cm, Size incl. mounting 165 x 51.5 cm With a silk brocade frame and mounted as a hanging scroll with wooden handles. Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was a Chinese painter, born in rural Yixing during the late Qing dynasty. He began studying classic Chinese works and calligraphy at the age of six, with his father Xu Dazhang, a private school teacher, and Chinese painting at the age of nine. Beihong started from very humble beginnings to become one of the most sought-after, admired and influential painters of China. One of his well-known works, the “Cultivation of the peaceful Land”, sold for 27.4 million euro in 2011 and therefore ranks among the most expensive paintings in the world. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu became President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and chairman of the China Artists Association. Xu Beihong together with Zhang Shuqi and Liu Zigu, were called the "Three Masters of Jinling (Nanjing)." Xu Beihong was a master of both oil and ink paintings. Most of his works, however, were in the Chinese traditional style. In his efforts to create a new form of national art, he combined Chinese brush and ink techniques with Western perspective and methods of composition. He integrated firm and bold brush strokes with the precise delineation of form. As an art teacher, he advocated the subordination of technique to artistic conception and emphasized the importance of the artist's experiences in life. Of all the painters of the modern era, it can be safely said that Xu is the one most responsible for the direction taken in the modern Chinese Art World. During his career Xu Beihong painted many pictures of horses in various postures. During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) these images became particularly important, both as symbolic representations of China's strength and perseverance as well as for fund raising to support the war effort. While Xu's equines are characteristically powerful, vibrant, and rendered with anatomical precision, only his best examples have such detailed musculature and brushstrokes that suggest a play of light across the horse's torso, as seen on the anterior horse of the present work. It is quite exceptional to find an example where Xu took the time to paint two galloping horses in a rather small format as opposed to just a single horse. The close attention to modeling that is particularly visible in the heads reveals Xu's skill as a draughtsman and his interest