Peonies and Carnations

Wei Tianlin, who studied in Japan in his early years, was one of the pioneers of modern Chinese art. Impressionism deeply influenced his work, yet retained a distinctive modern and national character. Floral subjects are relatively rare in Wei’s oeuvre from the 1930s, making Peonies and Carnations particularly noteworthy — it is the only known double-sided panel painting by Wei (displayed as a single side in this exhibition). At this time, Wei had been back in China for six years, having studied under the renowned Japanese Western-style painter Fujishima Takeji. Building upon a thorough integration of Impressionist sensitivity to light and colour, he naturally infused the work with an Eastern scholarly sensibility. The painting emphasizes the effects of environmental and light-source colours on the bouquet, using colour to convey a sense of airy luminosity in the shadows. Capturing the fleeting interplay of light and colour, it stands as an early masterpiece of Wei’s Impressionist style.