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Lot Essay
In the years leading out of the height of abstract expressionism, many artists continued to expand the movement, including Sam Francis and Joan Mitchell, members of the second generation of abstract expressionist painters. At a time when New York artists' studios tended to gather in the downtown art scene, the close proximity opened up dialogues between the artists and resulted in much creative synergy. Ting was introduced to abstract expressionism when he moved from Paris to New York in the late 1950s and became closely associated with artists such as Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell. Influences of American action painting, arte informale, and the European avant-garde CoBrA Group can be seen in Untitled (Lot 132) painted in 1956. The explosive composition and colours seem to imply a De Kooning-esque deconstructed human figure, giving us a glimpse into Ting's early fascination with the human body.
In 1961, Ting bought an anonymous painting of a female nude on the streets of Paris and applied layers of impasto paint over it, resulting in Rue Saint Denis (Lot 133). This act of appropriating and intervening with a classical painting demonstrates the artist's early avant-gardism and belief in new ways of expression. This rejection of classical ideals and rationality resonated with the philosophy behind the CoBrA Group. It is important to note that Ting painted phallic symbols onto the nude figure, resulting in a sexualised undertone. In fact, I go to Moon (Lot 202), painted in 1959, utilizes the form of the phallus as the theme of his abstraction. From Untitled (1956), to I go to Moon (1959), to Rue Saint Denis (1961), Ting's works are an exploration of the human body, gender relations and the artist's sexual curiosity.
In Spring in My Mouth (Lot 203), the spontaneous action of the frenzied drips and dabs of paint fill the canvas with a fountain of spring color. The title of the work and the composition evoke the immediacy and emotions of sexual passion. The bright colours and drip technique used in this painting became a signature style of Ting's, which he would continue to use in the backgrounds of his figurative paintings. After 15 years of abstract painting, Ting's interest in the body and his exploration of sexuality led him back to figuration in the 1970's. In his reevaluation of the notion of the female body, Ting's work became even more subjective, personal, and radical in his expression of emotion and gender relations.
In Do you like Roses? (Lot 133), it is as if the figure has been subsumed into an abstract expressionist canvas. Illustrated by flat planes of colour and simplified lines, the woman poses provocatively before the viewer, veiled in the colourful drips that scatter across the surface of the painting.
Ting's use of figuration stemmed from a compulsion to express the feelings inspired in him by objects of beauty. He said: 'When I see a beautiful woman [and] I see flowers, its beauty makes me feel intangible, melancholy, love, refreshed, different, and reborn. I want to use different colours to express my inner feelings and emotions in my paintings.' Indeed, Ting's paintings make tangible the multitude of inspired emotions he sought to express. In Afternoon Tea (Lot 135) the women in blue gaze to the side, exuding a cool, languid mood. Yet the zestful splashes of pink and green paint that seem to spray out from the centre of the canvas create an excited energy. The hot pinks and reds of the berries and women's lips add a seductive warmth and cheer to the composition. In contrast, the woman in Promise? Give me a sunset (Lot 134) gazes intently at the viewer. The cropped perspective creates an added sense of intimacy, and the triangular slice of watermelon invites the viewer into the painting. The bouquet of flowers created with alluring dabs of rich colour, and the slow trickle of paint that moves vertically along the canvas create an air of gentle adoration. Ting's figures are not the main subject of his paintings, but rather one of the vehicles of expression, alongside colour and gesture.
Painted in 1983, I Very Shy (Lot 136) is a more mature work of Ting's, displaying the fluency he achieved in his very personalised language of expression. The 'shy' woman coyly conceals her face with an ornate fan, yet simultaneously exposes a nude lower body that extends across the canvas. A single, deliberate line curves along the buttocks beyond the edge of the painting, sensuously articulating her voluptuous femininity. The cats - one sleeping and disinterested, the other awake and gazing attentively at the viewer - echo the woman's mixed emotions and express a delicate sensuality. With controlled use of colour and gesture, the painting's figurative elements press closely together in a taut, dynamic composition. Thus the work relies more on form than drips to create energy and scatter the viewer's gaze. Furthermore, the slab of dark blue behind the figure's head seems to separate the space of the figure from the space of the tree, creating an interplay between interior and exterior. Like the orange cat that appears ready to pounce, I Very Shy captures a moment of quiet excitement and suspended emotion. Spontaneous, exuberant and striking, Ting's work captivates the viewer with his unique style and bold expressions from the heart.
In 1961, Ting bought an anonymous painting of a female nude on the streets of Paris and applied layers of impasto paint over it, resulting in Rue Saint Denis (Lot 133). This act of appropriating and intervening with a classical painting demonstrates the artist's early avant-gardism and belief in new ways of expression. This rejection of classical ideals and rationality resonated with the philosophy behind the CoBrA Group. It is important to note that Ting painted phallic symbols onto the nude figure, resulting in a sexualised undertone. In fact, I go to Moon (Lot 202), painted in 1959, utilizes the form of the phallus as the theme of his abstraction. From Untitled (1956), to I go to Moon (1959), to Rue Saint Denis (1961), Ting's works are an exploration of the human body, gender relations and the artist's sexual curiosity.
In Spring in My Mouth (Lot 203), the spontaneous action of the frenzied drips and dabs of paint fill the canvas with a fountain of spring color. The title of the work and the composition evoke the immediacy and emotions of sexual passion. The bright colours and drip technique used in this painting became a signature style of Ting's, which he would continue to use in the backgrounds of his figurative paintings. After 15 years of abstract painting, Ting's interest in the body and his exploration of sexuality led him back to figuration in the 1970's. In his reevaluation of the notion of the female body, Ting's work became even more subjective, personal, and radical in his expression of emotion and gender relations.
In Do you like Roses? (Lot 133), it is as if the figure has been subsumed into an abstract expressionist canvas. Illustrated by flat planes of colour and simplified lines, the woman poses provocatively before the viewer, veiled in the colourful drips that scatter across the surface of the painting.
Ting's use of figuration stemmed from a compulsion to express the feelings inspired in him by objects of beauty. He said: 'When I see a beautiful woman [and] I see flowers, its beauty makes me feel intangible, melancholy, love, refreshed, different, and reborn. I want to use different colours to express my inner feelings and emotions in my paintings.' Indeed, Ting's paintings make tangible the multitude of inspired emotions he sought to express. In Afternoon Tea (Lot 135) the women in blue gaze to the side, exuding a cool, languid mood. Yet the zestful splashes of pink and green paint that seem to spray out from the centre of the canvas create an excited energy. The hot pinks and reds of the berries and women's lips add a seductive warmth and cheer to the composition. In contrast, the woman in Promise? Give me a sunset (Lot 134) gazes intently at the viewer. The cropped perspective creates an added sense of intimacy, and the triangular slice of watermelon invites the viewer into the painting. The bouquet of flowers created with alluring dabs of rich colour, and the slow trickle of paint that moves vertically along the canvas create an air of gentle adoration. Ting's figures are not the main subject of his paintings, but rather one of the vehicles of expression, alongside colour and gesture.
Painted in 1983, I Very Shy (Lot 136) is a more mature work of Ting's, displaying the fluency he achieved in his very personalised language of expression. The 'shy' woman coyly conceals her face with an ornate fan, yet simultaneously exposes a nude lower body that extends across the canvas. A single, deliberate line curves along the buttocks beyond the edge of the painting, sensuously articulating her voluptuous femininity. The cats - one sleeping and disinterested, the other awake and gazing attentively at the viewer - echo the woman's mixed emotions and express a delicate sensuality. With controlled use of colour and gesture, the painting's figurative elements press closely together in a taut, dynamic composition. Thus the work relies more on form than drips to create energy and scatter the viewer's gaze. Furthermore, the slab of dark blue behind the figure's head seems to separate the space of the figure from the space of the tree, creating an interplay between interior and exterior. Like the orange cat that appears ready to pounce, I Very Shy captures a moment of quiet excitement and suspended emotion. Spontaneous, exuberant and striking, Ting's work captivates the viewer with his unique style and bold expressions from the heart.