Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Lingnan Masters: South Chinese Painting in Transition 1800–2000

(from 6th Aug 2013 until 23rd Feb 2014)

Discover the mastery of the Lingnan School of painting in China over the last 200 years.

Detail of ‘Lychees and cicada', by Chen Shuren, Hong Kong, 1928 (Museum no: EA2002.72)
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Women sharpening agricultural tools

  • Description

    Fang Rending was born in Zhongshan County in Guangdong province. He studied painting from Gao Jianfu (1879-1951) in the Chunshui Art Studio and later in Japan from 1929 to 1935. Fang was among the few Lingnan School artists who excelled at figure paintings and was a pivotal leader in reforming traditional Chinese figure painting.

    Fang was greatly affected by the hardship of life for ordinary people in early 20th century China, and he devoted much energy depicting labouring people with rich realistic detail. His style and subjects therefore adapted easily to the romantic realism of Communist China after 1949.

    This painting depicts a group of women sharpening agricultural tools in a peaceful pastoral scene. The power and importance of women in production activity was greatly advocated and praised during the revolutionary period. The red headwear and shoes in this painting, together with the metal agricultural tools, have brought a heroic and revolutionary appearance instead of an elegant and delicate image to these women.

  • Details

    Associated place
    Asia China (place of creation)
    Date
    1901 - 1975
    Artist/maker
    Fang Rending (1901 - 1975) (artist)
    Material and technique
    ink and colour on paper
    Dimensions
    mount 228 x 77 cm (height x width)
    painting 112 x 56 cm (height x width)
    rolled 6.7 cm (diameter)
    along roller 88 cm (length)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented in honour of the 75th birthday of Angelita Trinidad Reyes, 2007.
    Accession no.
    EA2007.166

Past Exhibition

see (1)

Location

    • currently in research collection

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