Watercolor and ink on paper roll. Featuring boy on water buffalo. Signed Li Keran (1907-1989, Chinese), inscribed with 2 artist seals. 68 x 44 cm. PROVENANCE: Property of a gentleman (East Toronto, Canada)

Li Keran was a Chinese painter known for his depictions of landscapes using both traditional and experimental techniques. “Delve into tradition with the utmost dedication and then break away from it with the utmost courage,” he once proclaimed. Born Li Yongshun on March 26, 1907 in Xuzhou, China, he attended classes in which both traditional Chinese painting and Western painting were taught, going on to study under André Claudot at the Hangzhou National Art College. In 1946, Li was asked to join the faculty of the Beijing National Art College, where his colleagues included the revered artists Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong. Li went on to publish the influential essay On the Reform of Chinese Painting in the first issue of Art (Meishu), the magazine of the Chinese Artists’ Association. In the essay, he advocated for artists to immerse themselves in the lives of ordinary people. Though he experienced a significant amount of criticism during the Cultural Revolution, Li continued to create landscapes using his hybrid style merging East and West. The artist died on December 5, 1989 in Beijing, China. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in Canada, and the National Museum of China in Beijing, among others.

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American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).