‘GRAPES, LEAVES AND VINES’ BY LI KUCHAN (1899-1983) 李苦禪款《葡萄》China. Ink on paper. Depicting leaves and vines with hanging grapes at the center, below some branches with small buds, superbly painted in the artist’s characteristic bold and spontaneous style.Inscriptions: Upper right, inscribed ‘Binglong di Li Nianchan’ (‘For Brother Binglong Li Nianchan’), one seal, ‘Li Ying zhiyin’. Provenance: British trade. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, foxing, a small tear to the central fold, minor creasing.Dimensions: Size 63.7 x 44.7 cmLi Kuchan (1899-1983) was a renowned Chinese painter, calligrapher and art educator who specialized in free-stroke brush paintings. Li was born in Gaotang, Shandong, into a poor family and had to take up hard labor in order to pay for art school in Beijing. In 1923, he began to study under Qi Baishi (1864-1957), a famous contemporary Chinese painter and was considered to be his best student. Later, Li began to work as an art teacher, and taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts from 1950 until his death in 1983. He specialized in bird-and-flower paintings using the free and spontaneous ‘xieyi’ style (freehand brushwork used in traditional Chinese painting).Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s London, 13 November 2015, lot 1198Price: GBP 8,125 or approx. EUR 11,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Li Kuchan (1898-1984), LotusExpert remark: Compare the related motif and technique. Note the smaller size (49 x 41.5 cm).Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2017, lot 1443Price: HKD 150,000 or approx. EUR 20,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Li Kuchan (1899-1983) Fragrant Plantain LilyExpert remark: Compare the closely related motif and technique. Note the similar size (62 x 46 cm) and that this lot comprises two paintings.李苦禪款《葡萄》中國，紙本設色。大寫意描繪葡萄以及藤蔓與葉子。 款識：柄龍弟李念禪鈴印：李英之印 來源：英國古玩市場。 品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損、褐變、中央褶皺處有小撕裂、輕微摺痕。 尺寸：63.7 x 44.7 厘米 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2015年11月13日，lot 1198 價格：GBP 8,125 （相當於今日EUR 11,000） 描述：李苦禪(1899-1983)《蓮花》 專家評論：比較相近的主題和技術。請注意尺寸較小 (49 x 41.5 厘米)。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年5月30日，lot 1443 價格：HKD 150,000（相當於今日EUR 20,500） 描述：李苦禪(1899-1983)《魚戲》 專家評論：比較非常相近主題和技術。請注意尺寸較小(62 x 46 厘米) ，此組圖為兩幅。