于凡 （中国） 白马与水兵之二 （六版）

Literature：Spiritual-Yu Fan work 1999-2009，Eastlink，Beijing，2009，color illustrated on cover page and p. 10-13
Art Map magazine，Vol 25，2009 July Issue，Beijing，color illustrated on cover page

Yu Fan was born 1966 in Qingdao City，China. He graduated from the Fine Art Department of Shandong Art Institute in 1988，and in 1992 he graduated from the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Art，Beijing. After graduating，He was offered a position at the Academy and later taught and became mentor to many contemporary artists. Yu is now well known throughout the contemporary art scene across both eastern and western countries for his playful，almost cartoonish，sculptures that contain underlying social and political significance.
Yu Fan’s renowned creation is of a series of sculptures featuring horses with silver mane and hoofs，which started in 2008. The animal has inspired many artists in the past and in the contemporary art scene，for its powerful and wild nature. Instead of depicting his subject in half-gallop or featuring the sinewy quality in the body of his horses like so many others do，Yu Fan focused on the horse’s gentler，milder，and more compassionate side，always portrayed at rest. Yu Fan attempts not to recreate reality in his sculptures，but instead with his lacquered surface he projects to the viewer a spiritual representation of his subject matter.
The present lot depicts a sailor on Yu Fan’s signature white horse with silver mane and hoofs. Yu Fan was born into the year of horse of the lunar calendar，which explains his fascination for the animal. According to the artist，the sailor sitting on the horse in this sculpture，as well as in most of his other sculptures，was made the image of his child. Although sometimes he did not meant that to be intentional，every time he sculpts a face it will inevitably be in the image of his child，out of his great love and adoration for him. With their forms extremely simplified，Yu Fan does not try to replicate his subjects realistically. Instead，captured in the casted bronze is their spirit and essence，with an unintended air of mysticism about them.