PROPERTY FROM A NEW YORK PRIVATE COLLECTION 紐約私人收藏
YU YOUREN (1879-1964)
Poem by Jiang Kui (ca. 1155-1221) in Running Script, Dedicated to Li Genyuan (1879-1965) Hanging scroll, ink on paper, inscribed and signed Yu Youren, with a dedication to Li Genyuan (1879-1965), with an artist's seal and a collector's seal of Li Genyuan. 99 x 48 1/2in (251.5 x 123.2cm)
The recipient of the present lot, Li Genyuan, was born in Tengchong, Yunnan Province. From 1904 to 1906, he studied at the Tokyo Shinbu Gakko, later continuing his education at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy from 1906 to 1909. During his time in Japan, he joined the Tongmenghui, where he became acquainted with Yu Youren. In 1917, he was appointed Governor of Shaanxi Province, where Yu Youren was also based at the time. In 1922, he became the Chief Director of the Agricultural and Business Department. Shortly thereafter, he withdrew from officialdom and led a reclusive life with his family in Suzhou until 1940, when he returned to government service as the Supervisory Commissioner for Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces.
Born in the same year and sharing similar life experiences, Li Genyuan and Yu Youren developed a deep and enduring friendship. During the 1930s, while Yu Youren held official positions in Nanjing, he frequently traveled to Suzhou, where Li Genyuan hosted him on numerous occasions. From November 22, 2024, to February 20, 2025, the Suzhou Museum presented the exhibition "He Illuminated the Past: Li Genyuan and Suzhou," in which a calligraphy by Yu Youren in 1930, dedicated to Li Genyuan, was displayed.
The present lot, measuring nearly 2.5 meters in length and over one meter in width, is one of the largest calligraphic works by Yu Youren. It exemplifies a pivotal transition in his running script style, which was profoundly influenced by the standard script steles of the Wei State from the Northern Dynasties. Yu Youren began studying these Wei steles during his time in Japan and remained dedicated to internalizing their distinctive knifework, seamlessly incorporating it into his own calligraphic practice.
For comparison, see an impression of the Guanzhong Yushi seal in Lin Jin-zhong, "Yu Youren Shufa Zuopoin de Xiangguan Kaocha" (A Study on Yu Youren's Calligraphy Works), in Jinian Fu Chuan-fu Jiaoshou--Xiandai Shuhua Yishu Xueshu Yantaohui Lunwenji (In Commemoration of Professor Fu Chuan-fu--Proceedings of the Academic Symposium on Modern Calligraphy and Paintings) (Taipei: National Taiwan University of Arts, 2007), p. 158, seal no. 25. According to Lin's research, this seal appears more frequently on Yu Youren's works from the early 1930s to the mid-1940s, particularly those featuring running script infused with the stylistic influence of Wei stele script. This observation aligns with both the style and the likely execution date of the present lot. Similar to the aforementioned calligraphic work dedicated to Li Genyuan in the Suzhou Museum's collection, the present lot was likely presented to Li Genyuan during the 1930s when Yu Youren visited him in Suzhou. Additionally, the poem by Jiang Kui inscribed on this piece subtly alludes to the reclusive lifestyle that Li Genyuan embraced during this period.
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