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Lot Essay
"If the influence of Paris in my artistic formation is undeniable, I must also say that I have gradually rediscovered China, along with my growing confidence. China is inherent in all my recent canvases. Paradoxically it is to Paris that I owe this return to my profoundest origins."
- Zao Wou-Ki
In 1948 Zao Wou-Ki carried with him great expectation and creative urge as he arrived Paris. At the time, abstract painting has already been established in the art scene. Avant-garde artists are ceaselessly exploring new areas and expressive style, bringing Zao an insurmountable stimulation and inspiration. He described this period as "a dark age that is hovered with a sense of melancholy and confusion K in order to search for the lost language, and to discover the best condition to house this language, I worked very hard". Works from this period are not only precious because of their rarity, but because they are testimonies of the exploration, struggle and innovation underwent by the artist in his debut into the art scene. Created in 1950, 03.04.50 (Lot 2105) uses green as the main colour, the peripheral olive green surrounds the central teal. Blending the yellow and blue forms the green; as the olive and teal are similar in tone, they procude a diffusing and overlapping effect. Zao masters the characteristic of oil paint in between its translucency and opaque nature. The strata of texture are rich in their layering, and complements greatly with the colour, creating a wealth of depth and spatiality. The shaped of fish is simply outlined; Zao has once talked about his works from the late 1940s, "In this time, influenced from ancient Chinese art, especially Han relief, start to slowly appear." The refined contour lines are sharp at their angled-edges, the austere outlines carried the characteristic of the traditional Chinese brick-relief. The red and the surrounding green create a sharp contrast. Although water does not have a fix form, Zao hinted upon the tangibility of it through the spread of oil paint. In contrast, the fish, though with a perceivable image, has been depicted in the painting with the same colour as the background, which implies their intangible being. In the next year Zao encountered for the first time, the work of Paul Klee's work in Berne, Switzerland. The strong eastern qualities within Klee's paintings evoked great resonance with the artist. Yet, Long before that encounter, 03.02.05 has already revealed the interaction between the void and the concrete though a simple imagery. The traditional Chinese aesthetic concept within also foretells the direction he is heading towards in his creation.
Line is one of the most basic formal elements of art, and has always been used both incisively and with broad expressive purpose by Chinese artists. Subjects are interpreted through line in Chinese painting, calligraphy, and sculpture, and even in architecture and dance; it is used not only to frame the outlines and structures of objects, but as a medium for conveying the artist's subjective feelings and frame of mind. Ever since the 1950s, line has been an important formal element of Zao Wou-Ki's work, from his Klee-influenced period, in which he outlined figurative subjects and landscape elements, to his mid-1950s works, where it has strong symbolic presence in the form of calligraphic motifs. After 1958, Zao's use of these symbolic "oracle-bone" motifs decreased, and the importance of narrative in his work was reduced, with the result that his lines began to exhibit a purer, more absolute expressiveness. Created in 1967, Untitled (Lot 2106) is structured with the central colour of Prussian Blue. In comparison to the thicker oil paint, watercolor is water-soluble and has an inerasable quality because of the rapid rate it dries up. It also allows us to easily examine the swaying confidence of the artist when he waves his hand and paint. The liquid and infiltrative qualities of the water also create a more airy and flowing image. The center of Untitled is weaved out by dense and intricate brushstrokes, and the strokes added in afterwards gradually calms down as they spread from the vehement centre. The gradational layers are subtly created through large brushstrokes in the background, reflecting the artist's search for spiritual realization and the intention of the nature's rhythm. As Zao describes, "these motifs took on shapes, while their backgrounds began to take on spatial depth, and as I repainted them again and again, discarding previous work and starting over, things that were deep in my mind began to surface." In his repeated exploration in the structure of lines, a concept of a Chinese literati admist the spatial universe and nature is injected into Untitled; within the layering of colour and multiple perspectives, the sense of grandeur in the traditional Chinese ink painting is being created.
20.11.86 (Lot 2107) is boldly dissected by a diagonal line. The light colour tone on the left half creates a bright and unlimited space. The dark blue and purple at the lower right corner is diluted after the layering, hence resulting in a sense of depth and distance that differs from thick oil paint. Found at the lower half of the image, the refined brushstrokes at the boundaries in which the colours come into contact are a feature of his work from the 1980s. They demonstrate the defined foreground within traditional Chinese ink paintings. From the lower left light blue colour patches to the pastel white and creamy yellow on the top half, the scenery gradually steps back as the brightness and vibrancy decreases. The tint of smearing and overspreading does not merely depicts the mist-enshrouding, hazy blank background within ink paintings; the yellowish warm tone bridges with the bluish purple colour patches, which are like the backlight that emerged from the top of a mountain during sunrise. Under the strong contrast of light and shade, the depth of view is extended. Zao is treating the imagery in a more simplifying and summarizing way, just like the Southern Song painter Xia Gui who omits the middle ground within the landscape composition. In the direct stand-off between the foreground and the background, the created space shows further sense of distant serenity and depth. 20.11.86 is like a door and a window within a garden. Not only does it present the essence of the scene, it is also a medium in which the reality communicates with the nature. Su Dongpo's poem Han Xu Pavilion describes, "Nothing but this pavilion could make one feels like overlooking at the entire natural scene." The partial single-framed scene reflects the micro- straightforward view within the traditional Chinese aesthetics. The objective imitation and realism is therefore unimportant anymore. The artist, under the state of unity between human and heaven, self and matters, observes and reflects on nature. The fluidity of the paint and the movement of the brushstrokes imply the budding sense of life. The open spatial composition contains Zao's experience and understanding of the nature, and the essence of the universe and life, and also implodes the infinite aesthetic imagination of the viewers through the visual experience.
Besides oil painting, printmaking is also an important area within Zao's creation. The prints from the period of 1950 to 1980 (Lot 2309- 2317) showing in the day auction, have reflected his thinking and structuring of formal elements, irrespective of their periods, or changes between figurative and abstract style. From the mid 1940 to 1950, the famous textile designer Zika Ascher has commissioned artists such as Matisse, Henri Moore etc. for new works. Zao was the only Chinese artist among the commissioned artists. Created in 1955, Blue Scenery and Lovebirds (Lot 2308) were both printed on silk as the commission work then. In comparison to the direct nature of painting, printmaking contains extra procedures such as the making of the plate, and the printing. The indirectness and contingency within the creative process become a characteristic of printmaking. Zao's understanding of and research on the complicated techniques of printmaking allow him to create a wealth of expressive nature within his grasp of media; for example, the honest representation of the changes in brushstrokes within lithograph, the rich and saturated colour combination within silk screen, and the refined grain and texture of etching. These works illustrate the multifarious creative direction of the artist in whole, and display his achievements in exploration and changes in style in every stage of his practice.
- Zao Wou-Ki
In 1948 Zao Wou-Ki carried with him great expectation and creative urge as he arrived Paris. At the time, abstract painting has already been established in the art scene. Avant-garde artists are ceaselessly exploring new areas and expressive style, bringing Zao an insurmountable stimulation and inspiration. He described this period as "a dark age that is hovered with a sense of melancholy and confusion K in order to search for the lost language, and to discover the best condition to house this language, I worked very hard". Works from this period are not only precious because of their rarity, but because they are testimonies of the exploration, struggle and innovation underwent by the artist in his debut into the art scene. Created in 1950, 03.04.50 (Lot 2105) uses green as the main colour, the peripheral olive green surrounds the central teal. Blending the yellow and blue forms the green; as the olive and teal are similar in tone, they procude a diffusing and overlapping effect. Zao masters the characteristic of oil paint in between its translucency and opaque nature. The strata of texture are rich in their layering, and complements greatly with the colour, creating a wealth of depth and spatiality. The shaped of fish is simply outlined; Zao has once talked about his works from the late 1940s, "In this time, influenced from ancient Chinese art, especially Han relief, start to slowly appear." The refined contour lines are sharp at their angled-edges, the austere outlines carried the characteristic of the traditional Chinese brick-relief. The red and the surrounding green create a sharp contrast. Although water does not have a fix form, Zao hinted upon the tangibility of it through the spread of oil paint. In contrast, the fish, though with a perceivable image, has been depicted in the painting with the same colour as the background, which implies their intangible being. In the next year Zao encountered for the first time, the work of Paul Klee's work in Berne, Switzerland. The strong eastern qualities within Klee's paintings evoked great resonance with the artist. Yet, Long before that encounter, 03.02.05 has already revealed the interaction between the void and the concrete though a simple imagery. The traditional Chinese aesthetic concept within also foretells the direction he is heading towards in his creation.
Line is one of the most basic formal elements of art, and has always been used both incisively and with broad expressive purpose by Chinese artists. Subjects are interpreted through line in Chinese painting, calligraphy, and sculpture, and even in architecture and dance; it is used not only to frame the outlines and structures of objects, but as a medium for conveying the artist's subjective feelings and frame of mind. Ever since the 1950s, line has been an important formal element of Zao Wou-Ki's work, from his Klee-influenced period, in which he outlined figurative subjects and landscape elements, to his mid-1950s works, where it has strong symbolic presence in the form of calligraphic motifs. After 1958, Zao's use of these symbolic "oracle-bone" motifs decreased, and the importance of narrative in his work was reduced, with the result that his lines began to exhibit a purer, more absolute expressiveness. Created in 1967, Untitled (Lot 2106) is structured with the central colour of Prussian Blue. In comparison to the thicker oil paint, watercolor is water-soluble and has an inerasable quality because of the rapid rate it dries up. It also allows us to easily examine the swaying confidence of the artist when he waves his hand and paint. The liquid and infiltrative qualities of the water also create a more airy and flowing image. The center of Untitled is weaved out by dense and intricate brushstrokes, and the strokes added in afterwards gradually calms down as they spread from the vehement centre. The gradational layers are subtly created through large brushstrokes in the background, reflecting the artist's search for spiritual realization and the intention of the nature's rhythm. As Zao describes, "these motifs took on shapes, while their backgrounds began to take on spatial depth, and as I repainted them again and again, discarding previous work and starting over, things that were deep in my mind began to surface." In his repeated exploration in the structure of lines, a concept of a Chinese literati admist the spatial universe and nature is injected into Untitled; within the layering of colour and multiple perspectives, the sense of grandeur in the traditional Chinese ink painting is being created.
20.11.86 (Lot 2107) is boldly dissected by a diagonal line. The light colour tone on the left half creates a bright and unlimited space. The dark blue and purple at the lower right corner is diluted after the layering, hence resulting in a sense of depth and distance that differs from thick oil paint. Found at the lower half of the image, the refined brushstrokes at the boundaries in which the colours come into contact are a feature of his work from the 1980s. They demonstrate the defined foreground within traditional Chinese ink paintings. From the lower left light blue colour patches to the pastel white and creamy yellow on the top half, the scenery gradually steps back as the brightness and vibrancy decreases. The tint of smearing and overspreading does not merely depicts the mist-enshrouding, hazy blank background within ink paintings; the yellowish warm tone bridges with the bluish purple colour patches, which are like the backlight that emerged from the top of a mountain during sunrise. Under the strong contrast of light and shade, the depth of view is extended. Zao is treating the imagery in a more simplifying and summarizing way, just like the Southern Song painter Xia Gui who omits the middle ground within the landscape composition. In the direct stand-off between the foreground and the background, the created space shows further sense of distant serenity and depth. 20.11.86 is like a door and a window within a garden. Not only does it present the essence of the scene, it is also a medium in which the reality communicates with the nature. Su Dongpo's poem Han Xu Pavilion describes, "Nothing but this pavilion could make one feels like overlooking at the entire natural scene." The partial single-framed scene reflects the micro- straightforward view within the traditional Chinese aesthetics. The objective imitation and realism is therefore unimportant anymore. The artist, under the state of unity between human and heaven, self and matters, observes and reflects on nature. The fluidity of the paint and the movement of the brushstrokes imply the budding sense of life. The open spatial composition contains Zao's experience and understanding of the nature, and the essence of the universe and life, and also implodes the infinite aesthetic imagination of the viewers through the visual experience.
Besides oil painting, printmaking is also an important area within Zao's creation. The prints from the period of 1950 to 1980 (Lot 2309- 2317) showing in the day auction, have reflected his thinking and structuring of formal elements, irrespective of their periods, or changes between figurative and abstract style. From the mid 1940 to 1950, the famous textile designer Zika Ascher has commissioned artists such as Matisse, Henri Moore etc. for new works. Zao was the only Chinese artist among the commissioned artists. Created in 1955, Blue Scenery and Lovebirds (Lot 2308) were both printed on silk as the commission work then. In comparison to the direct nature of painting, printmaking contains extra procedures such as the making of the plate, and the printing. The indirectness and contingency within the creative process become a characteristic of printmaking. Zao's understanding of and research on the complicated techniques of printmaking allow him to create a wealth of expressive nature within his grasp of media; for example, the honest representation of the changes in brushstrokes within lithograph, the rich and saturated colour combination within silk screen, and the refined grain and texture of etching. These works illustrate the multifarious creative direction of the artist in whole, and display his achievements in exploration and changes in style in every stage of his practice.