Chrysanthemum

Zhou Chunya looks beyond the confines of his own culture for stylistic and thematic freedom while remaining true to the poetic sensibility prevalent in classical Chinese paintings. This Chrysanthemum (Lot 530) embodies a profound stylistic transformation from figuration to abstraction. The vibrant hues are a testament to his intimate affinity to and thorough understanding of Western colour relationships. The strong brushstrokes and emphasis on emotions are reminiscent of German neo-expressionism. This sense of gestural mode of expression is also prominent in classical Chinese paintings, where the philosophical mode of "less is more" echoes the ineffable dynamism of classical Chinese poetry. The unhampered flow of vigorous brushworks, reminiscent of abstract lines of calligraphy, throws the institutional figurative techniques to the wind, only to heighten an abstract conception that can only be sensed or felt. Along with the restless brushworks comes the magnificent flow of colour, lustrous and dissolved into each other, evoking a washed-over effect as if water smudge had blurred the distinct contour of the colour scheme. What could have been a realistic flower has thus been disfigured, torn up and spilled over into the background, making for an exquisite hodgepodge of colours. By capitalizing on colour's pure implication, Zhou Chunya fabricates a space of colour permeated with spirituality and imagination. In between the interwoven cadences of colour flows a lyrical undulation that transcends the concrete form to be in tune with the spirit of Zen in classical Chinese paintings.