LI YANSHAN (1898-1961)

PRIVATE FAMILY COLLECTION OF GUANGDONG ARTIST LI ZEKAI

Lots 584-591 belong to Li Zekai and Li Xinzhai, who are part of a family of Hong Kong artists, Gao Jianfu's Cockscomb and Huang Junbi's Tea and Studies are both dedicated to Li Xinzhai, who was a member of the Guangdong 'Traditional Painting Study Group." Li Zekai was an active artist in Guangzhou during the years of the Republic, and collaborated with Gao Jianfu, Chen Shuren, and many other Lingnan artists to establish the "Guangzhou Literature Society Travelling Group." Using Lychee Bay as their headquarters, they regularly organized meetings to discuss and critique artworks. Originally a group of ten, the society grew to include three hundred members and became increasingly influential in art circles. Li established and developed a deep bond with the artists, in particular with his good friend Deng Fen. Furthermore, Yang Shanshen's Devotion to Prunus and Crane and Ding Yanyong's Banana Leaf and Frog were all gifts from the artists to him. Ding's Orchids and Bamboo, Li Yanshan's Landscapes in Ancient Style, and Wang Xuetao and Cao Kejia's Cat and Butterfly were gifts to Li Xinzhai, Li Zekai's son. Li's collection puts together three generations of Lingnan artists' works, records the friendship between the artists and collectors, and illustrates the immense sentimental and artistic value contained in these works.