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Lot Essay
In 1970 the 300-year retrospective exhibition of Rembrandt at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum made a profound impact on Chu Teh-Chun. It not only advanced his interpretation and treatment of light, but also gave him insight into the meaning of painting. Chu has high regard for Rembrandt, especially for his use of light and his skillful highlighting and representation of it. Rembrandt's use of distinct gradations of shadow and darkness reinforced the infectious and mysterious appeal of his paintings. Chu realised the use of light and shade in Western classical Realism aligned with the concepts of Yin and Yang, and light and dark-the two basic elements of the Chinese understanding of the universe. After reflecting more thoroughly on the interaction of light, Chu was able to execute subtle yet more expressive work. He once said: 'The colour and lines in my images are never random results, they are put together harmoniously for one common purpose: activate light sources, arouse image and rhythm.' As such, light and lines are the important tools of Chu's paintings.
In Clartes diaphanes (Lot 147), painted in 1983, a milky white oil paint forms the background. Over this Chu has used extremely fine brushstrokes, 'writing' light and other delicate lines with a soft brush and a flexible wrist. Fine calligraphic lines of turquoise, moon-white, light yellow and light pink are blended into the background, without the slightest trace of viscosity. The floating, running lines resemble Mount Blanc of the Alps, foreshadowing the snow-scape series Chu would create in the 1980s and 1990s. Through the process of mixing oils with solvents, Chu deliberately created a semi-translucent texture, hence the light blue and light green blocks of colour, which produce shading effects akin to Chinese ink on fine paper. This also resembles the visual rhythm generated by the chromatic dispersion of light refracting. At the lower right of the painting is a large area of textured white paint, the boldest part of the painting, which demonstrates Chu's brushwork and his ability to balance the light that turns, changes and drifts on the surface of the painting.
In Clartes diaphanes (Lot 147), painted in 1983, a milky white oil paint forms the background. Over this Chu has used extremely fine brushstrokes, 'writing' light and other delicate lines with a soft brush and a flexible wrist. Fine calligraphic lines of turquoise, moon-white, light yellow and light pink are blended into the background, without the slightest trace of viscosity. The floating, running lines resemble Mount Blanc of the Alps, foreshadowing the snow-scape series Chu would create in the 1980s and 1990s. Through the process of mixing oils with solvents, Chu deliberately created a semi-translucent texture, hence the light blue and light green blocks of colour, which produce shading effects akin to Chinese ink on fine paper. This also resembles the visual rhythm generated by the chromatic dispersion of light refracting. At the lower right of the painting is a large area of textured white paint, the boldest part of the painting, which demonstrates Chu's brushwork and his ability to balance the light that turns, changes and drifts on the surface of the painting.