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Lot Essay
“If one says my work is different from that of most Western painters, the difference probably stems from the perspective on space.”
- Zao Wou-Ki
In February of 1948, Zao Wou-Ki moved his life from Shanghai to Paris, where he hoped to realise his true artistic style. At the Hangzhou School of Fine Arts , under the tutelage of Lin Fengmian, he struggled to reconcile his ties to traditional Chinese painting with his love of expressionistic Western art. After two years of living in Paris, Zao embarked on travels around Europe: across France, to Italy, Switzerland, and more. On this journey, he visited countless museums and landmarks, painting sights from his travels. This brought new inspiration to his work and marked the beginning of a combination of Eastern artistic concepts and modern Western styles. The works that Zao created during this time marked a distinct period in his career, during which he incorporated landscape and architecture into his paintings. These elements, rendered in quick lines, were nestled onto hazy, colorful canvases. The writer François Cheng wrote about Zao's work during this period, noting "A delicate effect mingled with strength is achieved through the juxtapositioning of numerous lines… It is thanks to them that the landscapes,… give the impression of lightness – as if they were ready at any moment to fly away." Cheng's notion is exemplified by two Untitled works.
In May 1949, Zao Wou-Ki held his first solo exhibition in Paris. His themes from this period include scenery, human subjects and still life, and Untitled (Lot 305) is an iconic work among his still life paintings. It demonstrates the start of his shift towards abstract and simplified forms in depicting objects; they are rendered in abundant lines and colour blocks, and in light colour contours against a black backdrop. Zao Wou-Ki continued along the path of simplified forms; it saw him arriving at his linear and Klee-inspired style, and his bone oracle style in the 1950s.
Untitled (Lot 304) emerges from Zao's traditional Chinese training, yet is inspired by the nature and artists of Europe. The pastel blue and green color palette is reminiscent of early impressionists, such as Claude Monet, and is a unique departure from the artist's usual dramatic color scheme. In the case of Untitled, Zao uses thin layers of oil paint in blue, green, and gray, to give the entire painting a light, hazy atmosphere. In the midst of these airy colors, images are depicted in simplified and symbol-like lines. The mountains appear to float, and there is no clear demarcation between sky and ground. These peaks are grounded solely by small trees and a church, inscribed at the bases of the mountains. Zao often inscribed his works, using the wooden handle of brushes to remove paint and form fine lines. These minute details demonstrate Zao's emphasis on line, driven by his knowledge of traditional Chinese painting. From the messy, gestural outlines of the mountain ridges to the thin, deliberate etching of the trees, in Untitled, Zao Wou-Ki explores line in all its forms. Since 1959, this painting was a part of the permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This is the first time that this work has been offered at auction.
- Zao Wou-Ki
In February of 1948, Zao Wou-Ki moved his life from Shanghai to Paris, where he hoped to realise his true artistic style. At the Hangzhou School of Fine Arts , under the tutelage of Lin Fengmian, he struggled to reconcile his ties to traditional Chinese painting with his love of expressionistic Western art. After two years of living in Paris, Zao embarked on travels around Europe: across France, to Italy, Switzerland, and more. On this journey, he visited countless museums and landmarks, painting sights from his travels. This brought new inspiration to his work and marked the beginning of a combination of Eastern artistic concepts and modern Western styles. The works that Zao created during this time marked a distinct period in his career, during which he incorporated landscape and architecture into his paintings. These elements, rendered in quick lines, were nestled onto hazy, colorful canvases. The writer François Cheng wrote about Zao's work during this period, noting "A delicate effect mingled with strength is achieved through the juxtapositioning of numerous lines… It is thanks to them that the landscapes,… give the impression of lightness – as if they were ready at any moment to fly away." Cheng's notion is exemplified by two Untitled works.
In May 1949, Zao Wou-Ki held his first solo exhibition in Paris. His themes from this period include scenery, human subjects and still life, and Untitled (Lot 305) is an iconic work among his still life paintings. It demonstrates the start of his shift towards abstract and simplified forms in depicting objects; they are rendered in abundant lines and colour blocks, and in light colour contours against a black backdrop. Zao Wou-Ki continued along the path of simplified forms; it saw him arriving at his linear and Klee-inspired style, and his bone oracle style in the 1950s.
Untitled (Lot 304) emerges from Zao's traditional Chinese training, yet is inspired by the nature and artists of Europe. The pastel blue and green color palette is reminiscent of early impressionists, such as Claude Monet, and is a unique departure from the artist's usual dramatic color scheme. In the case of Untitled, Zao uses thin layers of oil paint in blue, green, and gray, to give the entire painting a light, hazy atmosphere. In the midst of these airy colors, images are depicted in simplified and symbol-like lines. The mountains appear to float, and there is no clear demarcation between sky and ground. These peaks are grounded solely by small trees and a church, inscribed at the bases of the mountains. Zao often inscribed his works, using the wooden handle of brushes to remove paint and form fine lines. These minute details demonstrate Zao's emphasis on line, driven by his knowledge of traditional Chinese painting. From the messy, gestural outlines of the mountain ridges to the thin, deliberate etching of the trees, in Untitled, Zao Wou-Ki explores line in all its forms. Since 1959, this painting was a part of the permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This is the first time that this work has been offered at auction.