Interactive catalogue accompanying the June 2018 selling exhibition of contemporary Chinese paintings by the master woodblock printmaker and painter, Chen Li (b. 1971, Kunming, China)
CHEN LI S P I R I T O F L A N D S C A P E
CHEN LI S P I R I T O F L A N D S C A P E
www.katrinelevin.com
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Chinese art and Western art have different views about reality. But...I ignore (these) rules to create living artistic images.
C h e n L i
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FOREWORD
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CATALOGUE OF WORKS Landscape and Mood Human Buddhas Oil on Paper
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ABOUT KATRINE LEVIN GALLERIES
FOREWORD Katrine Levin, founder Katrine Levin Galleries
This is Chen Li’s third solo show in London, and also marks his first visit to the U.K. Chen Li is an artist of extraordinary scope and originality who is attracting serious interest from public and private sectors. Breathing new life into an existing medium, he reaches out from within the cultural context of his native Kunming, the capital of China’s frontier southwest Yunnan Province, in a way that speaks to universal experiences. This February, Chen Li created a buzz with his extraordinary reduction woodblock prints, made using a rare technique developed in Yunnan. You can see the woodblock prints and take a virtual tour of that show at www.katrinelevin.com. This show focuses on his equally captivating lyrical paintings.
Chen Li lives, feels, and breathes the poetry of life.
Inspired by the spectacular landscapes and Buddhist philosophy of Yunnan, Chen Li weaves East and West into a unique visual language full of harmony, spontaneity, and a brilliant interplay of colours and textures. Defying categorisation, he says “Just like writing a love letter, content is key; what pen you use is not important”.
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CHEN LI 李貞
Chen Li lives and works in Kunming. Born into an artistic family in 1971, he grew up surrounded by the avant-garde artists of the post-Cultural Revolution, equally inspired by the works of Bruegel and de Kooning as of Guan Xiu and Zhao Wu-ji. Chen Li defines his practice as a constant transformation, a living art. The freedom of Chen Li’s thoughts is echoed in the freedom of his strokes and the originality of his compositions. His flying strokes render wind, clouds, the universe – transporting the viewer into the experience. After a turbulent youth and a near-fatal accident, Chen Li goes deep inside himself to find peace, harmony and balance. This search gives his works an extraordinary power and great energy. I paint to fully express my ideas, my hopes. I paint what I feel in my heart... For this I have to face my past, and have the courage to see past successes and failures. Chen Li’s works have been placed in significant private collections in the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States, and have been shortlisted by the Royal Academy of Art.
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LANDSCAPE AND MOOD COLLECTION
At times dynamic and at times contemplative, Chen Li’s works convey palpable sensations and a profound harmony.
The characteristic forms of the mountains and landscapes of Yunnan drive me to paint. My compositions are inspired by the spirit of traditional Chinese culture and paintings, and the Buddhist philosophy.
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THE WELL OF LONGCHUAN 2016
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 130cm
£ 6500
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UNTITLED 2017
Oil on linen canvas 97 x 100cm
£ 5200
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SPRING MOUNTAIN VILLAGE 2005-10
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 97cm
£ 6500
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MOUNTAIN DAWN 2005
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 97cm
£ 6500
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COLD MOUNTAIN II 2005
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 97cm
£ 6500
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MOUNTAIN SONG 2017
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 80cm
£ 5900
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MOUNTAIN SONG II 2017
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 100cm
£ 5900
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WIND PLAYING IN THE MOUNTAINS 2017
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 80cm
£ 4900
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UNTITLED 2016
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 60cm
£ 3000
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WILD FOREST IN THE MOONLIGHT 2016
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 100cm
£ 6500
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WILD FOREST 2016
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 100cm
£ 6500
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MOUNTAIN RESPITE 2016
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 73cm
£ 4900
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SACRED HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN 2018
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 100cm
£ 6500
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SUMMER BREEZE 2016
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 73cm
£ 4900
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UNTITLED (AFTER THE RAIN) 2014
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 70cm
£ 3500
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WINDSWEPT 2015
Oil on linen canvas 132 x 100cm
£ 6500
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UNTITLED (SPIRIT OF TWILIGHT) 2014
Oil on linen canvas 85 x 85cm
£ 5900
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SPIRIT OF WINTER 2014
Oil on linen canvas 90 x 70cm
£ 3500
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WILD LANDSCAPE WITH A BROOK 2008
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 97cm
£ 6500
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SPRING DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS 2010
Oil on linen canvas 95 x 100cm
£ 5200
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UNTITLED 2000
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 100cm
£ 4900
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HOUSE IN THE MOUNTAINS 2017
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 100cm
£ 4900
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JULY IN THE MOUNTAINS 2018
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 100cm
£ 6500
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HAPPY DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS 2018
Oil on linen canvas 130 x 100cm
£ 6500
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JOY OF BEING 2017
Oil on linen canvas 80 x 100cm
£ 4900
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SUMMER JOY 2017
Oil on linen canvas 90 x 100cm
£ 4900
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BY THE LONGCHANGIANG RIVER 2012
Oil on linen canvas 50 x 60cm
£ 3000
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SPRING LEAVES 2005
Oil on linen canvas 51 x 40cm
£ 1200 (framed)
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SPRING LEAVES II 2005
Oil on linen canvas 41 x 30cm
£ 950 (framed)
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HUMAN BUDDHA SERIES
The Human Buddha series is an exploration of diverse visual representations of thought as well as Chen Li’s own introspective exploration. Now I have the courage to see myself, I can surpass my own past. These Buddha figures represent my understanding. These paintings are also my footprints. Footprints of my travels to temples with Buddhist sculptures, murals and frescos.
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PORTRAIT 2017
Oil on linen canvas 100 x 90cm
£ 3500
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VITALITY 2017
Oil on linen canvas 60 x 50cm
£ 3000
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SERENE THOUGHT 2006
Oil on linen canvas 60 x 50cm
£ 3000
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INFORMATION OVERLOAD 2006
Oil on linen canvas 60 x 50cm
£ 3000
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OI L ON PAPER
These works ingeniously explore the beauty of oil on paper, often using paper textured with colourless woodblock impressions that form the background for the work. Like all artists, I have my personal standpoint and cultural background. I examine the field in which I exist and explore and find new possibilities.
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STILL LIFE VARIATION II 2006
Oil on paper 34 x 34cm
£ 500 (framed)
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STILL LIFE VARIATION IV 2006
Oil on paper 34 x 34cm
£ 500 (framed)
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STILL LIFE 2006
Oil on paper 34 x 34cm
£ 500 (framed)
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BRIGHT MOON 1998
Oil on paper 40 x 40cm
£ 500 (framed)
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Katrine Levin Galleries showcases and promotes exceptional contemporary artists from places less explored, focusing on Southwest China and Georgia. Katrine brings extraordinary artists, both emerging and established in their own countries, to the Western art scene. The artists’ cultural backgrounds form a fascinating subcontext and perspective while the contemporary visual language creates a common bond. The works span figurative to abstract, raw emotion to symbolic storytelling. Diverse in style, all of the artists pursue art for art’s sake. The focus is on unique works that elevate the soul through the inner spark that we call talent.
A short video on our website gives a colourful introduction to what we do.
www.katrinelevin.com
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CHEN LI: SPIRIT OF LANDSCAPE
17 | 23 JUNE
Monday to Friday, 11:00am - 6:30pm Saturday 11:00am - 4:00pm
Private view: 19 June, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, St. James’s London SW1Y 4UY
To see the artworks outside exhibition dates, please contact Katrine Levin Galleries.
+44 (0) 7789 001378 katrine@katrinelevin.com www.katrinelevin.com KATR I NE L EV I N
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Photographs by Jiguang Guo and Paul Tucker Photography. Graphic design by Martina Poiana. Printed by Ex Why Zed.
© Katrine Levin Galleries, 2018.
Ka t r i ne Lev i n Ga l l e r i e s www.katrinelevin.com
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