Wang Yidong (Chinese, born 1955), 王沂東


Reading Letter 1995signed and dated 1995oil on canvas105 x 105 cm (41 5/16 x 41 5/16 in)
|This work is accompanied by a photo-certificate of authenticity signed by the artist and issued by Schoeni Art Gallery.ProvenanceSchoeni Art Gallery, Hong KongAcquired directly from the above by the present ownerLiteratureSchoeni Art Gallery Ltd., Wang Yi Dong, Hong Kong 1999, p.108-109, illustrated in colour王沂東讀信油彩畫布1995年作簽名: Wang yidong 王沂東 1995此作品附少勵畫廊出具之藝術家簽名保證書來源香港少勵畫廊現藏家直接購自上述畫廊出版《王沂東》，少勵畫廊出版 ，香港 ，1999年 ，第108-109頁 ，彩圖Dynamic spatial perspectives, a balanced orchestration of light and color, with an atmospheric depiction, propel an ordinary rural domestic scene to a sense of theatricality and vivid drama. Rendered with exquisite details, Reading Letter depicts a young Chinese girl in profile, standing in front of an unseen window at home as she reads a letter. A soft ray of sunlight from the window on the left shines on her, highlighting the ochre satin ribbons tied around her two braids and her peony patterned red blouse, which contrasts against a dimly lit room. Born in the Yimeng Mountain area of Shandong, China, in 1955, Wang Yidong studied at the Shandong Art School before graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. As a visiting scholar at the University of Oklahoma in 1987, Wang received academic training in Western art history and contemporary art and was fascinated by masterpieces from the Renaissance to 19th century Realism. The present work exudes the theatrical dynamism of Caravaggio's paintings and draws parallels to Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's depictions of Dutch domestic interiors, particularly his painting Reading a Letter at an Open Window, which also depicts a young woman standing in profile in front of a window as she reads a letter. Both Wang and Vermeer drew inspiration from Renaissance painters, employing chiaroscuro to communicate greater dynamics of tone. While Vermeer crafts a scene that is rigid and formal, Wang adopts a subtler method by reabsorbing chiaroscuro in his own language, employing delicate brushstrokes to achieve a nuanced brilliance. Vermeer's portraits of women reading letters are often associated with the theme of love and marriage, where he captures their immediate reaction upon receiving these letters. While Vermeer allows us a glimpse of the woman's reaction through her reflection on the windowpanes in Reading a Letter at an Open Window, Wang illustrates the young girl's emotions through orchestrating an implicit atmosphere of anticipation and excitement in the present work. With exceptional precision, Wang paints an opened envelope, along with an unlit kerosene lamp and two casually placed apples on a white table in front of the young girl to suggest a sense of immediacy, that she might have just received fresh mail in the morning. From the brief writing on the envelope, we learn that her address is in Cangshan in Shandong, while the letter was sent from Gansu province. Hanging on the wall behind her are photographs of herself, and with a young man, who might be an absent loved and the sender of the letter. She seems solemn and focused, as if she is about to react to the contents of the letter. The sense of anticipation is further illustrated through a stage-like presence of the window curtains in the background, enlivened through a naturalistic and sensual use of dark and light, all of which directs our attention to the girl and the love letter she holds firmly between her hands. Coming from Schoeni Art Gallery, one of the first galleries in Hong Kong to nurture and foster the growth of Chinese contemporary art, founded by Swiss art dealer Manfred Schoeni, the present work has been in a private European collection for almost 20 years since its exhibition at the gallery in 1999. Reappearing on the market, Reading Letter is archetypal of Wang's technical mastery in depicting the beauty of rural life in China. Today, he is undoubtedly recognized as a leading figure of Chinese Realist painting. 活潑的空間視角、掌控得宜的光影與色彩、極有氛圍的畫面，王沂東以高超的繪畫功力將尋常的鄉下居家景象塑造成強烈而鮮活的場景。《讀信》一作中，藝術家經由細膩的細節描繪一名中國少女的側影，她在家裡站在一扇在畫面上能隱約看見的窗前，閱讀手中的信。窗外柔和的陽光灑在她左臂上，凸顯出兩條辮子的赭色絲帶和牧丹花色的紅衣，這一切在昏暗的房間內更為顯眼。王沂東一九五五年生於中國山東省沂蒙山區，就讀山東省美術學校，爾後畢業於北京中央美術學院。在一九八七年到奧克拉荷馬州立大學（University of Oklahoma）做訪問學者時，接受西方藝術史和當代藝術的洗禮，對文藝復興時代到十九世紀寫實主義的大師作品感到無比欽佩。此作品散發出卡拉瓦喬（Caravaggio）繪畫的鮮活戲劇感，並呼應楊・維梅爾（Johannes Vermeer）筆下荷蘭室內居家場景，尤其是《窗邊讀信的少女》（Reading a Letter at an Open Window）一作。在維梅爾的畫中，年輕女子側身站在窗前，低頭讀著一封信。王沂東和維梅爾的靈感均來自文藝復興的畫家，他們善於使用「明暗對照法」傳遞更靈活的統調。維梅爾的場景多半嚴謹正式，王沂東則偏好用自己的語彙，低調地重新詮釋「明暗對照法」，以細膩的筆觸建構巧妙而精湛的畫面。維梅爾在畫讀信的女子時，往往是跟愛情和婚姻的主題有關，企圖捕捉女子收到求婚信時當下的反應。在《窗邊讀信的少女》一作中，維梅爾藉由窗戶的反射影像讓我們一窺女子的表情，王沂東則是營造出隱隱約約中蘊含期待和興奮的氛圍，來傳遞少女的情懷。王沂東用無比精準的技藝，繪出展開的信、一盞沒有點上的煤油燈和少女前方白桌上兩顆隨意擺放的蘋果，以此表現即時性，好像她在晨間才剛剛收到信一般。信上簡短的文字顯示出她住在山東蒼山，收到從甘肅省發來的信。少女後面的牆上掛著她的照片，照片中有一名年輕男子，可能便是從遠在他鄉捎信來的人。少女看起來莊嚴而專注，好像就要對信的內容有所反應。這股期待的心情透過自然和感性的光影而鮮活地表現出來，所有的細節讓我們將注意力導向少女和她手裡緊握的情書上面。《讀信》是王沂東描繪中國美麗農村生活的精湛之作，出自瑞士藝術商文少勵（Manfred Schoeni）創辦的少勵畫廊（Schoeni Art Gallery）。少勵是香港最早致力於培養和支持中國當代藝術的一家畫廊。這件作品在一九九九年於畫廊展出之後，曾在歐洲私人藏家手上有近二十年之久才重現在市場上。而今日的王沂東，已無疑是中國寫實畫家的領先者。