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

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

Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

A catalogue of Chinese paintings from the Reyes Collection by Shelagh Vainker (published Oxford, 1996).

Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Shelagh Vainker

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Li Kui Reciting Poetry with Difficulty

  • Literature notes

    Li Kui is a rough and ready outlaw in the 14th century popular novel Shuihu zhuan (The Water Margin), a fighter rather than a poet. Huang Yongyu laments in the inscription that Li Kui's poems were never written down, while those of his modern equivalents abound. Huang Yongyu painted at least two more versions of this subject in the same year, 1984, while in Beijing.
  • Description

    Li Kui is a famous character from The Water Margin. As his nickname ‘Black Whirlwind’ indicates, he is always depicted as a muscular man with a dark complexion and fiery eyes. His other nickname is ‘Iron Ox’, as he has a short temper and is tough and stubborn as an ox. Li is known as an illiterate warrior, but ironically the painter Huang Yongyu depicts him here reciting poetry. In the inscription, Huang Yongyu comments: ‘Nowadays many poems are in the style of Li Kui’s works. Isn’t it a pleasure to read his original work?’.

  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaChinaHebei province Beijing (place of creation)
    Date
    probably 1984
    Artist/maker
    Huang Yongyu (born 1924) (artist)
    Material and technique
    ink and colour on paper
    Dimensions
    frame 123.4 x 85.4 x 2 cm (height x width x depth)
    painting 67.4 x 68 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented in honour of the forthcoming 70th birthdays of Jose Mauricio and Angelita Trinidad Reyes, 1995.
    Accession no.
    EA1995.198
  • Further reading

    Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 September-1 December 1996, Modern Chinese Paintings: The Reyes Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Vainker, Shelagh (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1996), no. 32 on p. 34, illus. p. 34 fig. 32

Past Exhibition

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    • currently in research collection

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