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Lee Tze-Fan excelled at rendering the myriad forms and views of various flowers, particularly roses, lilies, and orchids. His refined arrangement and composition of blossoms, leaves, and background space in his flower paintings reveal a sense of fullness and energy with balanced and carefully orchestrated painting surfaces. Each work is nonetheless different, expressing the unique beauty of the forms and variations of individual flowers. Of particular note are Lee Tze-Fan's roses, especially those of the 1980s, which seem to reflect a lifetime cultivating a new variety of flower, bursting forth with the fragrance of life and vitality.
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Roses
Lee Tze-Fan (1907-1989), dated 1976
Watercolors on paper, 55 x 38 cm
Collection of the Lee Family |
The architectonic framework of the shape of the roses in this painting was one of the unique compositional techniques of the artist. After Lee Tze-Fan completed this work, he composed a sketch composition based on it, indicating that he himself was pleased with the arrangement. The background is composed of five simple rectangular shapes that allow the "T"-shaped flowers and vase to stand out. The rich hues and varied brushwork add vitality to the careful arrangement.
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Hydrangea Blossoms
Lee Tze-Fan (1907-1989), dated 1966
Watercolors on paper, 56 x 78 cm
Collection of National Hsinchu University of Education |
This painting, now in the collection of the National Hsinchu University of Education, is presently the only surviving work by the artist on the subject of hydrangea blossoms. Using patches of large brushstrokes, combined with outlines of green, the full shapes of the hydrangea clusters stand out as they bloom in brilliant color. The dark blue background conceals the large leaves, the brushwork being coarse yet powerful. The round clusters of blossoms throughout and the overall arrangement appear in a composition the artist rarely did. Except for the yellow patches to the left and the light-colored butterfly in the upper left, the entire work was done in heavy and opaque watercolors.
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