LOT 32
RAN IN-TING
B. Taiwan, 1903-1979
View of the Tamsui River
Monochrome watercolour
19.7 x 29.5cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Signed and inscribed ‘RAN IN-TING FORMOSA’ (lower right) and also signed in Chinese with artist’s seal (lower right)
RM 5,000 – 7,500
Ran-In-Ting, also known as Lan YinDing, was a Taiwanese watercolour artist whose work is recognised around the world for its expressive rendition of Taiwan’s landscape. He was able to capture the essence of his subjects with fluidity and sensibility, whether he was using watercolours or ink as his medium. Born in north-eastern Taiwan in 1903, he is said to have painted his first picture at the age of 13, a mural on a temple wall in his home village of a dragon wreathed by clouds. Ran successfully exhibited at the Imperial Fine Arts Academy exhibitions in Japan, the Teiten, in 1926 and 1929. Also in 1929, he was appointed as Art teacher at Taihoku First Girls High School and Taihoku Second Girls High School. In the same year, Ran successfully exhibited in the Japanese Teiten exhibition, with his watercolour piece entitled On the Street. He also exhibited in Taiwan and was active in furthering watercolour painting in Taiwan, being a founding member of the Taiwan Painting Research Institute for the study of Western painting.