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Lot Essay
"I want to paint what cannot be seen: the breath of life, the wind, the various forms life can take, the birth of colours, and the way they merge." - ZAO WOU-KI
If Zao Wou-Ki's works from the Hurricane Period and before reflect his interweaving of Chinese and European artistic languages, his works from the 1980s take this convergence further, elevating Zao's meld of Chinese and foreign styles to an unprecedented height. It was in this period that Zao arrived at an even deeper revelation of his sense of self in art – attested by multiple solo exhibitions of oil paintings at prominent museums in Europe. From 1.10.81, we can see the artist's confidence and the coalescence of artistic influences on him.
Among a sea of luminous paint, the dots, and smears bring to mind a European interpretation of colour. The visual impact as presented in 1.10.81 is not seen before the '80s. The light source from above, rendering a European approach, which centers the attention on the middle of the composition – ripples of immeasurable power on the canvas, instilling an immense momentum and feelings in Zao's sweeping colours. A storming sea, surging waves rocking and crashing to a tipping point and burst into splashes of violet, blue, ochre, and black hues. The composition evokes the raw, unlimited power and magnificence of the boundless nature, reminiscent of J.M.W. Turner's subliminal landscapes, immersing the viewers in an astounding visual experience in the world of Zao's through his adept command of oil painting.
Zao Wou-ki himself once commented that "(i)n Chinese painting, solid forms and empty spaces have a rhythm, constantly in motion as each pushes at the other, giving the pictorial space a wonderful balance between lightness and weight. This was an area where I really gained insights from our tradition. If you say my painting is different from most Western painters, it probably has to do with my concepts about how to handle space."
The 1980s style of Zao highlights his role as pioneer and harbinger of a new epoch in the history of modern art. Much like Zhang Daqian's "splashed ink" technique, the variation of blue in 1.10.81 is indeed closely linked with the concept of traditional Chinese ink painting and the spiritual essence of Chinese landscape works. Colour has become the crux of the work, with no other distinguishable elements to serve as a reference or signifier. In ink painting, new colours are coincidentally created by the mixing of colours the moment coloured ink contacts the surface of the absorbent Xuan paper. 1.10.81, however, was not just about new colours but also blending them together to make natural transitions between different tones. To achieve such effect, Zao dilutes the paint and applies them carefully, reminding viewers of an ink painting.
In the 1980s, Zao was in his sixties. After a long journey of searching, discovery and affirmation, Zao arrived at an ever-deeper revelation of his self in art. He also entered the phase of refinement in his artistic conception, while his work garnered extensive acclaim in the Western art world. In the 1980s, he presented several solo exhibitions of monumental oil paintings on the invitations of prominent museums such as Palais des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi, Belgium, and the National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg. He also received commissions to create large-scale works from commercial organizations such as the Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing. In the meantime, he was appointed as a professor of mural painting at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs.
In 1981, Zao presented his first solo exhibition at the Grand Palais National Galleries in Paris, which was held concurrently with the exhibition of Nicolas de Stael. It was a sign of official recognition from the Western art world for Zao’s achievement, after the artist had lived and worked in France for more than thirty years.
1.10.81 is an elegant portrayal of Zao Wou-ki's innovation of colour and brushwork during the 1980s, which enabled the artist to produce a uniquely personal style of expression.
If Zao Wou-Ki's works from the Hurricane Period and before reflect his interweaving of Chinese and European artistic languages, his works from the 1980s take this convergence further, elevating Zao's meld of Chinese and foreign styles to an unprecedented height. It was in this period that Zao arrived at an even deeper revelation of his sense of self in art – attested by multiple solo exhibitions of oil paintings at prominent museums in Europe. From 1.10.81, we can see the artist's confidence and the coalescence of artistic influences on him.
Among a sea of luminous paint, the dots, and smears bring to mind a European interpretation of colour. The visual impact as presented in 1.10.81 is not seen before the '80s. The light source from above, rendering a European approach, which centers the attention on the middle of the composition – ripples of immeasurable power on the canvas, instilling an immense momentum and feelings in Zao's sweeping colours. A storming sea, surging waves rocking and crashing to a tipping point and burst into splashes of violet, blue, ochre, and black hues. The composition evokes the raw, unlimited power and magnificence of the boundless nature, reminiscent of J.M.W. Turner's subliminal landscapes, immersing the viewers in an astounding visual experience in the world of Zao's through his adept command of oil painting.
Zao Wou-ki himself once commented that "(i)n Chinese painting, solid forms and empty spaces have a rhythm, constantly in motion as each pushes at the other, giving the pictorial space a wonderful balance between lightness and weight. This was an area where I really gained insights from our tradition. If you say my painting is different from most Western painters, it probably has to do with my concepts about how to handle space."
The 1980s style of Zao highlights his role as pioneer and harbinger of a new epoch in the history of modern art. Much like Zhang Daqian's "splashed ink" technique, the variation of blue in 1.10.81 is indeed closely linked with the concept of traditional Chinese ink painting and the spiritual essence of Chinese landscape works. Colour has become the crux of the work, with no other distinguishable elements to serve as a reference or signifier. In ink painting, new colours are coincidentally created by the mixing of colours the moment coloured ink contacts the surface of the absorbent Xuan paper. 1.10.81, however, was not just about new colours but also blending them together to make natural transitions between different tones. To achieve such effect, Zao dilutes the paint and applies them carefully, reminding viewers of an ink painting.
In the 1980s, Zao was in his sixties. After a long journey of searching, discovery and affirmation, Zao arrived at an ever-deeper revelation of his self in art. He also entered the phase of refinement in his artistic conception, while his work garnered extensive acclaim in the Western art world. In the 1980s, he presented several solo exhibitions of monumental oil paintings on the invitations of prominent museums such as Palais des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi, Belgium, and the National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg. He also received commissions to create large-scale works from commercial organizations such as the Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing. In the meantime, he was appointed as a professor of mural painting at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs.
In 1981, Zao presented his first solo exhibition at the Grand Palais National Galleries in Paris, which was held concurrently with the exhibition of Nicolas de Stael. It was a sign of official recognition from the Western art world for Zao’s achievement, after the artist had lived and worked in France for more than thirty years.
1.10.81 is an elegant portrayal of Zao Wou-ki's innovation of colour and brushwork during the 1980s, which enabled the artist to produce a uniquely personal style of expression.