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Lot Essay
By the 1950s, not long after moving to Paris, Zao Wou-Ki had quickly become a major component of the Lyrical Abstraction movement, exhibiting alongside Tachist artists such as Pierre Soulages. But, it was in the 1960s that Zao truly came into his highly personalized, mature style that he is known for today. 17.06.61 (Lot 56) is a vibrant, celebratory expression of the artist's self-discovery, expertly fusing the fluent colour relations and vibration of light from his Western learning with the philosophy and aesthetic of traditional Chinese painting.
In 17.06.61, a field of green, opulent as imperial jade coalesces with undertones of yellow, white and red. A riot of black lines dash and twist like currents of energy, materializing into two nebulous forms at the center. Wisps of white roll out like mist, and shades blend and blur to cause the upper half to recede in space. The dashes of yellow seem to illuminate like lights sparkling in the distance. In an unexpected move Zao sparingly and strategically applied hints of red, adding warmth and depth to the symphony of colours. The colours and gestures on the canvas echo the colours and winds of nature, exuding a feeling of vitality and renewal. Zao's use of colour relations as a vehicle for self-expression was learned and honed in the West. One of his peers in the Tachist movement whom he exhibited with, Hans Hartung, worked similarly with rhythmic brushstrokes and colour relations, but in a more reductive manner (Fig. 1). Zao once said, "My paintings became an indicator of my emotional life, because in them I revealed my feelings and state of mind with no inhibition whatsoeverK in fact it's the relationship between the colours - the way they blend, or conflict with each other, or the way they love or reject each other." Indeed, the complex colour relations in Zao's work form an intuitive expression of the artist's inner world.
Characteristic of his 1960s work, 17.06.61 combines the spontaneous black lines of his earlier work with the controlled power and dynamism of the Chinese calligraphic line. Gone are the quivering, disparate lines of his earlier work as seen in his 1954 work, 5.6.54 (Herbes) (Fig. 2). Though the two works are similar in palette, it is almost as if Zao has let loose the lines of 5.6.54 (Herbes), injecting them with the energy and rhythm of Chinese calligraphy. In the present lot, the lines dance with freedom, confidence, and momentum. Zao said: "My plan was to acquire a technique that would let me do with my brush what I felt with my body, to express this space, this light, through line." Following the lines with one's eyes is literally following the trace of the artist's hand, recalling his very presence in front of this canvas.
In returning to his source, Zao inherited a legacy left behind by Chinese painting masters before him. Looking at Song dynasty master Guo Xi's painting, Early Spring (Fig. 3), one can see how Zao reinterpreted elements of traditional landscape painting for the medium of oil. In fact, the words "Steam-like mist can be seen early in the morning on the springtime mountain," inscribed on Early Spring by Emperor Qianlong, can almost be applied to 17.06.61. In both works, multiple perspectives are utilized to give the feeling of gazing at an imposing space from a distance. The sharp lines dissecting the foreground of the work are more concentrated, giving it a protuding effect. While the shadowy lines in the background convey the feeling of rolling mists, creating depth in the painting. Furthermore, both works are built-up with repetitive brushwork interwoven with empty spaces, creating an image that moves and breathes with flowing energy. Rather than imitating life as his predecessors did, Zao shakes the image loose of its narrative and symbolism, freeing the viewer to dream. Painted with the vivid palette of the artist's own emotion, 17.06.61 evokes the abstract harmony and spirit of life, lush and aglow with the dawn of a new, mature phase in Zao's oeuvre.
In 17.06.61, a field of green, opulent as imperial jade coalesces with undertones of yellow, white and red. A riot of black lines dash and twist like currents of energy, materializing into two nebulous forms at the center. Wisps of white roll out like mist, and shades blend and blur to cause the upper half to recede in space. The dashes of yellow seem to illuminate like lights sparkling in the distance. In an unexpected move Zao sparingly and strategically applied hints of red, adding warmth and depth to the symphony of colours. The colours and gestures on the canvas echo the colours and winds of nature, exuding a feeling of vitality and renewal. Zao's use of colour relations as a vehicle for self-expression was learned and honed in the West. One of his peers in the Tachist movement whom he exhibited with, Hans Hartung, worked similarly with rhythmic brushstrokes and colour relations, but in a more reductive manner (Fig. 1). Zao once said, "My paintings became an indicator of my emotional life, because in them I revealed my feelings and state of mind with no inhibition whatsoeverK in fact it's the relationship between the colours - the way they blend, or conflict with each other, or the way they love or reject each other." Indeed, the complex colour relations in Zao's work form an intuitive expression of the artist's inner world.
Characteristic of his 1960s work, 17.06.61 combines the spontaneous black lines of his earlier work with the controlled power and dynamism of the Chinese calligraphic line. Gone are the quivering, disparate lines of his earlier work as seen in his 1954 work, 5.6.54 (Herbes) (Fig. 2). Though the two works are similar in palette, it is almost as if Zao has let loose the lines of 5.6.54 (Herbes), injecting them with the energy and rhythm of Chinese calligraphy. In the present lot, the lines dance with freedom, confidence, and momentum. Zao said: "My plan was to acquire a technique that would let me do with my brush what I felt with my body, to express this space, this light, through line." Following the lines with one's eyes is literally following the trace of the artist's hand, recalling his very presence in front of this canvas.
In returning to his source, Zao inherited a legacy left behind by Chinese painting masters before him. Looking at Song dynasty master Guo Xi's painting, Early Spring (Fig. 3), one can see how Zao reinterpreted elements of traditional landscape painting for the medium of oil. In fact, the words "Steam-like mist can be seen early in the morning on the springtime mountain," inscribed on Early Spring by Emperor Qianlong, can almost be applied to 17.06.61. In both works, multiple perspectives are utilized to give the feeling of gazing at an imposing space from a distance. The sharp lines dissecting the foreground of the work are more concentrated, giving it a protuding effect. While the shadowy lines in the background convey the feeling of rolling mists, creating depth in the painting. Furthermore, both works are built-up with repetitive brushwork interwoven with empty spaces, creating an image that moves and breathes with flowing energy. Rather than imitating life as his predecessors did, Zao shakes the image loose of its narrative and symbolism, freeing the viewer to dream. Painted with the vivid palette of the artist's own emotion, 17.06.61 evokes the abstract harmony and spirit of life, lush and aglow with the dawn of a new, mature phase in Zao's oeuvre.