White Carnations
Fan Tchun-Pi
1955
- YEAR:1955
- MEDIUM:Oil on canvas
- DIMENSIONS:53 × 46 cm
Introduction
Fan Tchun-Pi was one of the most prominent Chinese female painters of the early 20th century. After her second trip to France, she painted White Carnations, a representative work of her mature period, in which she continued to attempt to fuse the essence of traditional Chinese painting with Western painting techniques. In its perspective and modelling, the painting adopts a Western framework; yet, in its palette, shading, and treatment of atmosphere, it reveals the gentle lyricism of Chinese painting. The white carnations and bamboo basket are outlined with the precision of gongbi (meticulous brushwork), while the red seal in the lower left corner further enhances its traditional Chinese painting sensibility. These white carnations — solitary, quietly in bloom—embody a refined and transcendent ideal of Eastern aesthetics.
