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Lot Essay
Channeling the bold mark-making of traditional calligraphy and the lyricism of Chinese Literati painters, Forgetting (2015) belongs to Matthew Wong’s formative ink drawing practice. At left, a hooded figure peers across to a fanciful landscape abstraction. The looming humanoid figure projects both strength and uncertainty, reminiscent of the anxious protagonists inhabiting Edvard Munch's or Caspar David Friedrich's sublime landscapes. At right, abstracted vegetation comprised of biomorphic forms and feathery brushwork conveys the pulsating forces of the natural world, channeling the vivid energy of Vincent van Gogh and Yayoi Kusama.
As with the most successful of Wong’s works, Forgetting blends beauty with wistful undertones. The artist said, “I do believe that there is an inherent loneliness or melancholy to much of contemporary life, and on a broader level I feel my work speaks to this quality in addition to being a reflection of my thoughts, fascinations and impulses” (M. Wong, quoted in M. Vogel, “Matthew Wong Reflects on the Melancholy of Life,” Art of Choice, 15 November 2018). Forgetting indeed showcases Wong’s brilliant, intuitive handling of unforgiving media. Drawing is the most intimate and constructive aspect of a painter’s practice, as it is an arena in which to freely experiment with media, concept, form and space. Forgetting is a fully developed composition and a notable prelude to Wong’s vibrant painting practice.
Richly versed in art history and informed by his experience living and working internationally, Wong expanded contemporary painting by uniquely synthesizing concepts that have historically been considered to be oppositional. Forgetting demonstrates several of the dualities Wong embraced, including Eastern and Western pictorial traditions, figuration and expressionism, the imagined versus the familiar and accessibility versus internal reflection. As Dawn Chan wrote, Wong’s enduring talent includes “…the ability to dialogue with painters past while giving one the sense that all this work was powered by an unwavering, singular point of view” (D. Chan, Matthew Wong: Footprints in the Wind, exh. cat., New York, 2021, p. 9). Forgetting guides viewers towards these layered considerations and provides valuable insight into the artist’s mindscape.
As with the most successful of Wong’s works, Forgetting blends beauty with wistful undertones. The artist said, “I do believe that there is an inherent loneliness or melancholy to much of contemporary life, and on a broader level I feel my work speaks to this quality in addition to being a reflection of my thoughts, fascinations and impulses” (M. Wong, quoted in M. Vogel, “Matthew Wong Reflects on the Melancholy of Life,” Art of Choice, 15 November 2018). Forgetting indeed showcases Wong’s brilliant, intuitive handling of unforgiving media. Drawing is the most intimate and constructive aspect of a painter’s practice, as it is an arena in which to freely experiment with media, concept, form and space. Forgetting is a fully developed composition and a notable prelude to Wong’s vibrant painting practice.
Richly versed in art history and informed by his experience living and working internationally, Wong expanded contemporary painting by uniquely synthesizing concepts that have historically been considered to be oppositional. Forgetting demonstrates several of the dualities Wong embraced, including Eastern and Western pictorial traditions, figuration and expressionism, the imagined versus the familiar and accessibility versus internal reflection. As Dawn Chan wrote, Wong’s enduring talent includes “…the ability to dialogue with painters past while giving one the sense that all this work was powered by an unwavering, singular point of view” (D. Chan, Matthew Wong: Footprints in the Wind, exh. cat., New York, 2021, p. 9). Forgetting guides viewers towards these layered considerations and provides valuable insight into the artist’s mindscape.