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Lot Essay
Chu Teh-Chun's roots as an artist date back to the period when he studied at the Hangzhou School of Arts. During that time, he learnt about the Chinese expressionism favoured by Pun Tianshou and the modern abstract art of France advocated by Lin Fengmian which inspired him to combine western modern art and Chinese traditional art. Chu went to France to further his studies in the 1950s and, taking western abstract expressionism as a starting point, he further developed his unique abstract style by infusing oriental elements. In 1997, Chu was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts - the first Chinese artist to receive such an honor.
Chu used contrasting colours to highlight the differences between light and dark in his Un autre horizon (Lot 109). The seemingly uncontrolled, free brushstrokes are in fact crafted with great skill and precision, and, instead of being fragmented, a balanced and cohesive composition is achieved. Chu also used translucent layers of colour to create the effect of light emanating from the centre of the painting. The rays of light on the horizon break through the dark chaos, producing a quality of light similar to that of the impressionists, rich with detail and subtle layering.
In addition, he used his skill in Chinese brushwork, leaving spaces within each stroke thus creating a river-like flow of elegant movement, demonstrating the spirit of abstractionism in traditional Chinese ink paintings. There is some similarity to the German-born French abstract painter, Hans Hartung, who was greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy, especially the forms and lines of the Flying Cursive script. His work reveals his attention to the energy of brushstrokes and lines. It is calligraphic in style, rendered with colour and tension between the simplified forms. The flowing lines and variations in colour and light result in a powerful visual effect.
However, Chu's work carries more of a Chinese spirit than Hartung's. The Chinese approach to abstraction was deeply instilled in Chu, who fused personal elements such as experience, imagination and beliefs with his reinterpretation of objective forms. As a result, he achieved a unique Chinese-style abstraction distinct from western rational abstraction or sentimental abstraction. The abstraction in Chu's work is motivated by his interpretation of the core meanings of Chinese culture with the aid of western art concepts. His work breaks through time and spatial limitations to conduct an in-depth exploration of both form and spiritual meaning. The work then becomes a place where there is a meeting of the minds between the artist and the viewer, and where the delicacy of eastern art converges beautifully with the richness of western art.
Chu used contrasting colours to highlight the differences between light and dark in his Un autre horizon (Lot 109). The seemingly uncontrolled, free brushstrokes are in fact crafted with great skill and precision, and, instead of being fragmented, a balanced and cohesive composition is achieved. Chu also used translucent layers of colour to create the effect of light emanating from the centre of the painting. The rays of light on the horizon break through the dark chaos, producing a quality of light similar to that of the impressionists, rich with detail and subtle layering.
In addition, he used his skill in Chinese brushwork, leaving spaces within each stroke thus creating a river-like flow of elegant movement, demonstrating the spirit of abstractionism in traditional Chinese ink paintings. There is some similarity to the German-born French abstract painter, Hans Hartung, who was greatly influenced by Chinese calligraphy, especially the forms and lines of the Flying Cursive script. His work reveals his attention to the energy of brushstrokes and lines. It is calligraphic in style, rendered with colour and tension between the simplified forms. The flowing lines and variations in colour and light result in a powerful visual effect.
However, Chu's work carries more of a Chinese spirit than Hartung's. The Chinese approach to abstraction was deeply instilled in Chu, who fused personal elements such as experience, imagination and beliefs with his reinterpretation of objective forms. As a result, he achieved a unique Chinese-style abstraction distinct from western rational abstraction or sentimental abstraction. The abstraction in Chu's work is motivated by his interpretation of the core meanings of Chinese culture with the aid of western art concepts. His work breaks through time and spatial limitations to conduct an in-depth exploration of both form and spiritual meaning. The work then becomes a place where there is a meeting of the minds between the artist and the viewer, and where the delicacy of eastern art converges beautifully with the richness of western art.