LOT 1680-1689
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ASIAN COLLECTION

CUI ZIFAN (1915-2011)
Cat by the Pond
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
65.3 x 44 cm. (25 ¾ x 17 3/8 in.)
Entitled, and signed with one seal of the artist

Specialist Note:
Cui Zifan (1915-2011) was born to a peasant family and fought against the Japanese when they invaded in 1937. Ten years later, when civil war erupted, he organized the resistance around his hometown in Shandong province. Eight members of his family died in the fighting. During the Cultural Revolution, he worked in seclusion while other artists and intellectuals were purged.

Cui Zifan's experiences have enhanced his appreciation of the simple life, resonant subjects that have always been part of Chinese art, because they're always a part of life.

Cui Zifan is a master of the integrity of his culture and the authenticity of his person, his works are refreshing and lyrical, his animals rendered animatedly, resulting in a profound lightness of spirit that allows an old man to paint like a wise child.