270 - Chen Zhiliang (born 1955): Scholar under a tree

Chen Zhiliang (born 1955): Scholar under a tree China, inscription dated 1986 64 x 32,5 cm Ink and light colors on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll. A scholar in traditional robes gazes up at a flock of mountain birds, which take flight dynamically from the branches of a monumental tree. Executed in a minimalist, expressive ink style (xieyi), the scene perfectly captures a moment of profound stillness in which a human observer contemplates the vibrant freshness of late spring. On the left, an inscription in semi-cursive script (xingshu) features a poetic couplet by the Tang poet Wei Yingwu (here attributed to Chu Guangyi): "Jian shu han zhao yu, shan niao nong yu chun" (Trees by the mountain stream hold the morning rain; mountain birds frolic in the lingering spring), cyclically dated bingyin year (1986), signed: Chen Zhiliang, three artist's seals. German private collection - In good condition for its age, slight creases and minimal foxing This is a fine ink drawing from the significant early creative phase of the renowned Taiwanese modernist pioneer Chen Zhiliang. The year of its creation, 1986, marks a significant turning point in the artist’s biography, coming directly after his first major solo exhibitions in Taipei and Taichung. The work demonstrates Chen Zhiliang’s masterful command of classical literary ink painting (Wenrenhua), influenced by his teachers such as Ou Haonian, shortly before he radically deconstructed his style to embrace a more abstract, modern Taiwanese landscape