.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The Sublime Tradition of chinese sculpture, executed in bronze, Reveals Classical Aesthetics
With a background in traditional Chinese sculpture?, ?Ju Ming perfectly shows his profound understanding and manipulation of materials in? ?Taichi Series?: ?Single Whip? (?Lot 26?). ?Created in 1994?, ?the sculpture is made with logs with natural grains?, ?textures?, ?knots and notches that represents the? ?ever-changing dynamics to echo with the nature?. ?Ju Ming once said?, "?In a rough idea?, ?Taichi imitates the movement of animals?, ?plants and natural phenomenon?. ?These natural elements are eternal and simply exist in natural environment?, ?without any artificial? ?and hypocritical interpretations?. ?The relationship between human and nature?, ?however?, ?becomes distant that human is the only unnatural being in the nature?. ?We imitate the nature through Taichi as to retrace our origins and experience the essential postures of human in the nature?." ?The carving marks go along with the wood texture precisely and the craftsmanship radiates the unique? ?wood grain to present the artistic interpretation on the natural materiality?. ?Ju Ming's excellent craftsmanship cannot be hidden? ?on wood material itself?!?Xhis imagery and lines are lucid and bold enough to omit detailing the face?, ?the body and the dress?. ?The symbolic movement implies the flow of time and the dynamics of space?.? The carved details or overall structure of Ju Ming's? ?Taichi? ?series show his mature technique on the adjustment and contrast on shadow and light?. ?His interpretation and precise control on? ?yin? ?and? ?yang? ?offer an interesting visual experience to the viewers no matter from a close observation or distant look?. ?Without the concept of dualism?, ?we can only perceive the world structured with dualistic elements in a single and one-dimension perspective?, ?leading? ?to an incomplete understanding on the truth or even obstacles to our comprehensions and feelings?. ?The philosophy of dualism presented in Ju Ming's sculpture is based on the micro-cosmos theory and aesthetics in China?, ?while the notions of? ?Taichi?, ?Chinese chess and landscape gardening coincide with Daoist's dualism and? ?yin yang? ?theory?. ?The lifestyle derived from these notions can be seen in the traditional stone collection in the ancient time?. ?One of the habits of the Chinese intelligentsia is stone collection?, ?which requires the same aesthetic appreciation for Chinese gardens?, ?pursuing four aesthetic criteria of? "?concision?, ?translucence?, ?transparency and texture?." ?In a similar way?, ?Ju Ming's crave marks? ?on his sculptures also reveal such aesthetic senses?.?
The popular Taihu stones in Chinese gardens are usually carved into mountain shapes to mimic the natural landscape?. ?Their uneven? ?surfaces reflect the changing light of a day to compose veritable rhythms dancing around the artificial miniature of landscape?.?? ?The vitality of the? ?Taichi? ?series is inspired by this aesthetics tradition?. ?The expression of landscape by Chinese scholars usually focuses on the magnificence of the infinite universe and the smallest details at the same time?. ?It radiates the transition and change of both the macro and micro worlds?, ?which are reflected in the free and gentle expression of Ju Ming's works?. ?The application of this concept can be as well seen on the contemporary steel made Taihu stone?. "?To see a world in a grain of sand?, ?and a heaven in a wild flower?"?? ?will be the worldview expressed in the master's works?. ?Infused with boundless spirit?, ?Taichi Series?: ?Single Whip? ?and? ?Artificial Rock No?. ?86? (?Fig?. ?1?) ?interpret the eternity of the abstract movement of space-time as flickering light and shadow on themselves?, ?reminiscing the works by Western artist Richard Serra? (?Fig?. ?2?).? Daoist's Theory of Dynamism in Still Agglomerates the Changes in the Universe
The concept of movement in Ju Ming's? ?Taichi? ?series is originated from the Chinese aesthetics in depicting the objective world through writing and imagery?, ?which are quite? ?different from the Western artistic expression in capturing movement in space?. ?Since the beginning of the 20th Century?, ?there began the artistic investigation on the representation of movement?. ?Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey employed photography to obtain the visual documentation on the movement of objects? (?Fig?. ?3? & ?4?, ?pp?. ?132? & ?133?). ?It was astonishing for people to see three-dimensional movements connected by afterimages on a two-dimensional surface for the first time?, ?and inspired futurist artists to develop potential representations of temporality and the spatio-temporal coherence?. ?Nude Descending a Staircase? (?Fig?. ?5?, ?p?. ?132?) ?by Duchamp in 1912? ?stirred up a controversial discussion in New York?, ?which is regarded as the best example of? ?to describe dynamic movements?. ?He deconstructs the figure geometrically in a montage format?. ?The consecutive movements of the figure are laid in layers to present the transient process in a physical way?. ?Futurism adapted a more scientific and objective interpretation of movement?. ?In comparison to Ju Ming's symbolic depiction on? ?Taichi? ?movement?, ?Duchamp demonstrated a great ambition to express the? "?continuation of movement?" ?and to address dynamism through? "?documenting?" ?motions?.?
In a still pose?, ?Taichi? ?series seeks conversations between forms and space?, ?time?, ?light and shadow through? "?sensing?" ?the existence of movement?. ?Ju Ming?'?s works exemplify the universal interactions between? ?yin? ?and? ?yang? ?forces from the ancient Chinese canon? ?I Ching?: ?The Book of Changes?. "?Single Whip?" ?is a? ?Taichi? ?movement by lowering one's body to create the dynamic potential for offense and defense?. ?The perfect moment of stroke is manifested by Ju Ming's sophisticated and bold carving techniques? (?Fig?. ?3?, ?p?. ?130?). ?The emphasis on the lowered body in the move of? "?Single Whip?" ?is to create a moment for a defense move?, ?and then stand up to strike the opponent?. ?It is to first distract and scatter the confronting force?, ?and then to take the opponent by surprise?. ?The switch from defense to offense corresponds to the paradoxical Taoist philosophy of conquering the unyielding with the yielding?. ?This wood sculpture precisely captures this ready-to-go movement in retreat?, ?and grows an unstoppable energy in its serenity?.?
Bronze sculpture? ?Taichi?: ?Turn? (?Lot 26?) ?in 1985? ?is structured by the concepts of? "?speed?" ?and? "?intuition?". ?The sculpting process shows continuous motion and creative intuition?. ?Standing upright on one foot?, ?the weight of the figure is transferred to the right foot?. ?As the figure attempts a sideward turn?, ?kicking backward with the left foot?, ?Ju depicts the heaviness of the left foot by showing the bending leg against the steady poise of the pelvis?. ?The right foot kicks sharply out?, ?that highlighting the speed and agility of the kick?. ?The? ?subject's centre of gravity shifts onto the right foot as the figure turns?, ?palms flattened and straight?, ?while Ju captures the? ?potential attacking pose in the upraised left foot?. ?In the relative positions of the figure's limbs he clearly reveals the way hand?, ?eye?, ?body?, ?and technique are all united by the concept of? "?embracing the spirit and body as one?," ?and the Taichi practice of countering speed with slowness and movement with stillness?. ?It also shows a sense of firmness and volume through its existence? ?that exposes the power and dynamics from movement?.?
As Ju Ming's mature and established work?, ?Taichi? ?series departs from limits of subject matters?, ?and pursues nothing but the spirituality and the plastic formality?. ?Introduced by? ?his sculpture teacher Yang Yu-Yu?, ?Ju Ming began his Taichi practice as his body training?, ?and later started to employ the concept of balance between body?, ?mind and energy in his artistic practice in the 1970s to evoke people's imagination to transcend the? ?boundaries of forms and spirituality as well?. ?Ju's traditional craftsmanship is enriched by the Chinese philosophy to re-interpret the traditional cultural elements?, ?such as Taichi?, ?ying yang? ?and cosmology with his modern sculpture materials and techniques?. ?His artistic significance and merit is therefore marked in the Chinese modern and contemporary art?.?
With a background in traditional Chinese sculpture?, ?Ju Ming perfectly shows his profound understanding and manipulation of materials in? ?Taichi Series?: ?Single Whip? (?Lot 26?). ?Created in 1994?, ?the sculpture is made with logs with natural grains?, ?textures?, ?knots and notches that represents the? ?ever-changing dynamics to echo with the nature?. ?Ju Ming once said?, "?In a rough idea?, ?Taichi imitates the movement of animals?, ?plants and natural phenomenon?. ?These natural elements are eternal and simply exist in natural environment?, ?without any artificial? ?and hypocritical interpretations?. ?The relationship between human and nature?, ?however?, ?becomes distant that human is the only unnatural being in the nature?. ?We imitate the nature through Taichi as to retrace our origins and experience the essential postures of human in the nature?." ?The carving marks go along with the wood texture precisely and the craftsmanship radiates the unique? ?wood grain to present the artistic interpretation on the natural materiality?. ?Ju Ming's excellent craftsmanship cannot be hidden? ?on wood material itself?!?Xhis imagery and lines are lucid and bold enough to omit detailing the face?, ?the body and the dress?. ?The symbolic movement implies the flow of time and the dynamics of space?.? The carved details or overall structure of Ju Ming's? ?Taichi? ?series show his mature technique on the adjustment and contrast on shadow and light?. ?His interpretation and precise control on? ?yin? ?and? ?yang? ?offer an interesting visual experience to the viewers no matter from a close observation or distant look?. ?Without the concept of dualism?, ?we can only perceive the world structured with dualistic elements in a single and one-dimension perspective?, ?leading? ?to an incomplete understanding on the truth or even obstacles to our comprehensions and feelings?. ?The philosophy of dualism presented in Ju Ming's sculpture is based on the micro-cosmos theory and aesthetics in China?, ?while the notions of? ?Taichi?, ?Chinese chess and landscape gardening coincide with Daoist's dualism and? ?yin yang? ?theory?. ?The lifestyle derived from these notions can be seen in the traditional stone collection in the ancient time?. ?One of the habits of the Chinese intelligentsia is stone collection?, ?which requires the same aesthetic appreciation for Chinese gardens?, ?pursuing four aesthetic criteria of? "?concision?, ?translucence?, ?transparency and texture?." ?In a similar way?, ?Ju Ming's crave marks? ?on his sculptures also reveal such aesthetic senses?.?
The popular Taihu stones in Chinese gardens are usually carved into mountain shapes to mimic the natural landscape?. ?Their uneven? ?surfaces reflect the changing light of a day to compose veritable rhythms dancing around the artificial miniature of landscape?.?? ?The vitality of the? ?Taichi? ?series is inspired by this aesthetics tradition?. ?The expression of landscape by Chinese scholars usually focuses on the magnificence of the infinite universe and the smallest details at the same time?. ?It radiates the transition and change of both the macro and micro worlds?, ?which are reflected in the free and gentle expression of Ju Ming's works?. ?The application of this concept can be as well seen on the contemporary steel made Taihu stone?. "?To see a world in a grain of sand?, ?and a heaven in a wild flower?"?? ?will be the worldview expressed in the master's works?. ?Infused with boundless spirit?, ?Taichi Series?: ?Single Whip? ?and? ?Artificial Rock No?. ?86? (?Fig?. ?1?) ?interpret the eternity of the abstract movement of space-time as flickering light and shadow on themselves?, ?reminiscing the works by Western artist Richard Serra? (?Fig?. ?2?).? Daoist's Theory of Dynamism in Still Agglomerates the Changes in the Universe
The concept of movement in Ju Ming's? ?Taichi? ?series is originated from the Chinese aesthetics in depicting the objective world through writing and imagery?, ?which are quite? ?different from the Western artistic expression in capturing movement in space?. ?Since the beginning of the 20th Century?, ?there began the artistic investigation on the representation of movement?. ?Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey employed photography to obtain the visual documentation on the movement of objects? (?Fig?. ?3? & ?4?, ?pp?. ?132? & ?133?). ?It was astonishing for people to see three-dimensional movements connected by afterimages on a two-dimensional surface for the first time?, ?and inspired futurist artists to develop potential representations of temporality and the spatio-temporal coherence?. ?Nude Descending a Staircase? (?Fig?. ?5?, ?p?. ?132?) ?by Duchamp in 1912? ?stirred up a controversial discussion in New York?, ?which is regarded as the best example of? ?to describe dynamic movements?. ?He deconstructs the figure geometrically in a montage format?. ?The consecutive movements of the figure are laid in layers to present the transient process in a physical way?. ?Futurism adapted a more scientific and objective interpretation of movement?. ?In comparison to Ju Ming's symbolic depiction on? ?Taichi? ?movement?, ?Duchamp demonstrated a great ambition to express the? "?continuation of movement?" ?and to address dynamism through? "?documenting?" ?motions?.?
In a still pose?, ?Taichi? ?series seeks conversations between forms and space?, ?time?, ?light and shadow through? "?sensing?" ?the existence of movement?. ?Ju Ming?'?s works exemplify the universal interactions between? ?yin? ?and? ?yang? ?forces from the ancient Chinese canon? ?I Ching?: ?The Book of Changes?. "?Single Whip?" ?is a? ?Taichi? ?movement by lowering one's body to create the dynamic potential for offense and defense?. ?The perfect moment of stroke is manifested by Ju Ming's sophisticated and bold carving techniques? (?Fig?. ?3?, ?p?. ?130?). ?The emphasis on the lowered body in the move of? "?Single Whip?" ?is to create a moment for a defense move?, ?and then stand up to strike the opponent?. ?It is to first distract and scatter the confronting force?, ?and then to take the opponent by surprise?. ?The switch from defense to offense corresponds to the paradoxical Taoist philosophy of conquering the unyielding with the yielding?. ?This wood sculpture precisely captures this ready-to-go movement in retreat?, ?and grows an unstoppable energy in its serenity?.?
Bronze sculpture? ?Taichi?: ?Turn? (?Lot 26?) ?in 1985? ?is structured by the concepts of? "?speed?" ?and? "?intuition?". ?The sculpting process shows continuous motion and creative intuition?. ?Standing upright on one foot?, ?the weight of the figure is transferred to the right foot?. ?As the figure attempts a sideward turn?, ?kicking backward with the left foot?, ?Ju depicts the heaviness of the left foot by showing the bending leg against the steady poise of the pelvis?. ?The right foot kicks sharply out?, ?that highlighting the speed and agility of the kick?. ?The? ?subject's centre of gravity shifts onto the right foot as the figure turns?, ?palms flattened and straight?, ?while Ju captures the? ?potential attacking pose in the upraised left foot?. ?In the relative positions of the figure's limbs he clearly reveals the way hand?, ?eye?, ?body?, ?and technique are all united by the concept of? "?embracing the spirit and body as one?," ?and the Taichi practice of countering speed with slowness and movement with stillness?. ?It also shows a sense of firmness and volume through its existence? ?that exposes the power and dynamics from movement?.?
As Ju Ming's mature and established work?, ?Taichi? ?series departs from limits of subject matters?, ?and pursues nothing but the spirituality and the plastic formality?. ?Introduced by? ?his sculpture teacher Yang Yu-Yu?, ?Ju Ming began his Taichi practice as his body training?, ?and later started to employ the concept of balance between body?, ?mind and energy in his artistic practice in the 1970s to evoke people's imagination to transcend the? ?boundaries of forms and spirituality as well?. ?Ju's traditional craftsmanship is enriched by the Chinese philosophy to re-interpret the traditional cultural elements?, ?such as Taichi?, ?ying yang? ?and cosmology with his modern sculpture materials and techniques?. ?His artistic significance and merit is therefore marked in the Chinese modern and contemporary art?.?