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Lot Essay
Christie’s Hong Kong is honoured to present Still Life with Flowers / Abstract Triangle by Ting Yin Yung (Ding Yanyong), the largest double-sided painting of floral still life and abstract motif and a remarkably rare work among his oil paintings. According to Ting Yin Yung: Catalogue Raisonne, there are only two double-sided paintings of floral still life and abstract imagery in his oeuvre. The present lot is the largest abstract composition as well as the sole large-scale work among his floral still life paintings, which makes it the paramount double-sided painting in his career. This painting reflects Ting’s artistic experimentation that was shaped by influences from pioneers of Western arts, while it is subtly infused with Eastern aesthetics and cultural symbols. The convergence sheds light on the unique blend of artistic languages in Ting’s work.
Ting’s creative development was marked by an interweaving of Western and Eastern artistic influences. During the “Work-Study” movement initiated by the government of the Republic of China, Ting went to Japan in 1920 where he sought nourishments from Western arts. While he was receiving systematic education in Western arts history, he was drawn to the bold use of colours by Fauvist master Matisse and the free expression of the Abstract Expressionists. On the other hand, Ting hailed from a family of scholars and intellectuals, where he had exposure to the arts of antiques, calligraphy, painting and seal carving from a young age. In 1929, he began collecting paintings of Bada Shanren and Shitao as well as archaic Chinese artefacts. With his in-depth research and self-study of Chinese painting, he embarked on merging Western and Eastern artistic sensibilities in his practice. Renowned art historian Kao Mayching once used the phrase “One source, three branches” to summarize the creative contexts of Ting’s art, meaning that he was versed in the three mediums of oil painting, ink painting, and seal carving. While the three art forms have their distinct cultural origins, they coalescence into a refined whole that manifests in the artist’s singular style.
The double-sided painting is a key characteristic of, and a special format in, Ting’s oil paintings, while the “double-sided” format embodies multiple meanings in the creative process, creative concept, and aesthetic origin. Upon his move to Hong Kong in 1949, Ting had brought along few of his personal possessions except a dozen of his beloved paintings by Bada Shanren and Shitao, and over a hundred jade seals and bronze seals from the Qin and Han dynasties. Consequently, he would often repaint over a piece of wooden plank, or he would paint on the back of the plank. Throughout this creative process, the artist became increasingly focused on the process of painting through which he reflected upon himself. The format of double-sided painting also echoes the double-sided engravings on the bronze and stone artefacts and seal cravings which the artist studied extensively. As with artistic mediums including traditional Chinese fan and table plague, the double-sided artwork invites appreciation from two perspectives.
On the wooden plank that features in various Chinese artistic traditions, Ting painted images that resound with a Western artistic style. The two compositions make a fascinating contrast: one is abstract and solemn, the other figurative and bright. Painted in 1969, Abstract Triangle is an extremely rare composition among the artist’s oil paintings. The three geometrical triangles, which are vertically placed, are rendered in green paint of crude textures and varying shades. The composition was inspired by the artist’s grasp of, and attempt in, Abstract Expressionism, as well as his quest for innovating bronze and stone inscriptions and elemental imagery. Painted in 1972, Still Life with Flowers presents a lively subject depicted in delicate lines and bustling colours, as it captures arum lilies and white chrysanthemums in a vase and the fruits on the side. The translucent yellow green backdrop lends a daring touch to the composition, while the red flowers and green leaves thrive with a feeling of crispness and vitality. In his use of colours and brushwork, Ting took inspiration from the still life paintings of Western masters such as Cézanne and Matisse; he also instilled in his work the fast and rigorous brushstrokes in ink painting, which accentuated his distinctive expression.
Merging the expression of Western painting and the spirit of Chinese arts, Ting drew on the essences of the two and innovated them in his art. His double-sided oil paintings from the late 1960s and early 1970s embody an eclectic array of inspirations. Organic and vibrant, the compositions feel ethereal and weighty at the same time, as they possess both richness and sensitivity. In the words of art historian Kao Mayching: “The 60s and 70s were the zeniths of Ting Yin Yung’s oil paintings. His works from this period demonstrate how he built a bridge between Chinese and Western arts, bringing to light artistic spirits that resonate across cultures. With his strong personal character and unique life experiences, he blended profound differences between ethnicities and cultures in his art, which opened up a new style in Chinese oil painting.” A painting of rich colours and an exceptional subject, Abstract Triangle / Still Life with Flowers is testimony to a crucial period of his creative development that is marked by striking visual impact and incredible cultural connotations.
Ting’s creative development was marked by an interweaving of Western and Eastern artistic influences. During the “Work-Study” movement initiated by the government of the Republic of China, Ting went to Japan in 1920 where he sought nourishments from Western arts. While he was receiving systematic education in Western arts history, he was drawn to the bold use of colours by Fauvist master Matisse and the free expression of the Abstract Expressionists. On the other hand, Ting hailed from a family of scholars and intellectuals, where he had exposure to the arts of antiques, calligraphy, painting and seal carving from a young age. In 1929, he began collecting paintings of Bada Shanren and Shitao as well as archaic Chinese artefacts. With his in-depth research and self-study of Chinese painting, he embarked on merging Western and Eastern artistic sensibilities in his practice. Renowned art historian Kao Mayching once used the phrase “One source, three branches” to summarize the creative contexts of Ting’s art, meaning that he was versed in the three mediums of oil painting, ink painting, and seal carving. While the three art forms have their distinct cultural origins, they coalescence into a refined whole that manifests in the artist’s singular style.
The double-sided painting is a key characteristic of, and a special format in, Ting’s oil paintings, while the “double-sided” format embodies multiple meanings in the creative process, creative concept, and aesthetic origin. Upon his move to Hong Kong in 1949, Ting had brought along few of his personal possessions except a dozen of his beloved paintings by Bada Shanren and Shitao, and over a hundred jade seals and bronze seals from the Qin and Han dynasties. Consequently, he would often repaint over a piece of wooden plank, or he would paint on the back of the plank. Throughout this creative process, the artist became increasingly focused on the process of painting through which he reflected upon himself. The format of double-sided painting also echoes the double-sided engravings on the bronze and stone artefacts and seal cravings which the artist studied extensively. As with artistic mediums including traditional Chinese fan and table plague, the double-sided artwork invites appreciation from two perspectives.
On the wooden plank that features in various Chinese artistic traditions, Ting painted images that resound with a Western artistic style. The two compositions make a fascinating contrast: one is abstract and solemn, the other figurative and bright. Painted in 1969, Abstract Triangle is an extremely rare composition among the artist’s oil paintings. The three geometrical triangles, which are vertically placed, are rendered in green paint of crude textures and varying shades. The composition was inspired by the artist’s grasp of, and attempt in, Abstract Expressionism, as well as his quest for innovating bronze and stone inscriptions and elemental imagery. Painted in 1972, Still Life with Flowers presents a lively subject depicted in delicate lines and bustling colours, as it captures arum lilies and white chrysanthemums in a vase and the fruits on the side. The translucent yellow green backdrop lends a daring touch to the composition, while the red flowers and green leaves thrive with a feeling of crispness and vitality. In his use of colours and brushwork, Ting took inspiration from the still life paintings of Western masters such as Cézanne and Matisse; he also instilled in his work the fast and rigorous brushstrokes in ink painting, which accentuated his distinctive expression.
Merging the expression of Western painting and the spirit of Chinese arts, Ting drew on the essences of the two and innovated them in his art. His double-sided oil paintings from the late 1960s and early 1970s embody an eclectic array of inspirations. Organic and vibrant, the compositions feel ethereal and weighty at the same time, as they possess both richness and sensitivity. In the words of art historian Kao Mayching: “The 60s and 70s were the zeniths of Ting Yin Yung’s oil paintings. His works from this period demonstrate how he built a bridge between Chinese and Western arts, bringing to light artistic spirits that resonate across cultures. With his strong personal character and unique life experiences, he blended profound differences between ethnicities and cultures in his art, which opened up a new style in Chinese oil painting.” A painting of rich colours and an exceptional subject, Abstract Triangle / Still Life with Flowers is testimony to a crucial period of his creative development that is marked by striking visual impact and incredible cultural connotations.