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Lot Essay
“Chu Teh-Chun is not a landscape painter frozen in immutability and grandeur, but a painter of nature, of nature, which is fluctuating, moving, and passing. His work is born from two cultures, but from a single will: to construct by the expressive colour, to make the whole of the painting speak by the sum of the spontaneous and free gestures which, totalizing body and mind, is both empty and light, warmth and life. The artist is a sensitive plate of the universe.” - Pierre Cabanne
Line is an important element in painting; it composes the forms and demonstrates the brushwork of an artist. Chu's brushstrokes are rapid and ever-changing, with varied speeds, weights and rhythms. Lively and energetic, Chu's brushwork scales the image like a dancing snake. He once said, "I am from the East, and there are a lot of abstract elements within the core of our culture. For instance, our calligraphy is an abstract art." The fact that Chinese art does not stress the representation of form is also related to calligraphy. By utilising the 'bone method' to bring liveliness to brushwork, the imagery and spirit becomes the best representation of form. The strength of the character and the likeness of forms are all rooted in brushwork. Therefore, those who are good at painting would be good at writing calligraphy too. This indivisibility between calligraphy and paintings causes Chinese paintings to carry a strong element of calligraphy, in terms of lines and use of ink and to have their own abstract beauty. Though Chinese calligraphy and painting have different names, they essentially mean the same thing - one writes art while the other one draws. Brush and ink are not only about technique but also a carrier of emotion and spirit. Chu freely expresses his feelings through his brush and creates powerful imagery.
Chu firmly believed that the beauty of nature was not best communicated in words but on the canvas — hence the beautiful, flowing colours of his paintings, their rich and varied layering, and the strong, balanced rhythms of his brushwork. Chu often referred to his paintings as the visual depiction of music, where the notes translate into a medley of colourful dots intertwined onto a grand background of wind instruments. The scattered, disparate elements in his paintings combine and come together in a grand harmony. One cannot help but "see" the music in Unité profonde (Profound Harmony) (Lot 307): a symphony of lines, colours and dots energetically mingling in a rhythmic dance, mimicking past-faced notes alternating with legato phrasings. In order to seize the fast-changing and fluid light, Chu developed a highly-diluted translucent paint that rendered an ethereal brushstroke. Oil paint had never been so thin, almost like a wash, making colour feel so fine and delicate. Flot de lumières (Stream of light) (Lot 306), captures feathery large brushstrokes cascading through denser masses, with light-coloured touches of different sizes bouncing off the centre amongst interlaced fine lines, showing off Chu's masterful use of colour to depict light.
Diffractions alertes 2 (Alert diffractions 2) (Lot 325) experiments with this technique in more playful colours and contrasts. The point of light is set in the lower half of the composition, with large brushstrokes shooting vertically, giving the impression of an ascending energy. Atmosphère bleue V (Blue atmosphere V) (Lot 326) brings the spectator into a quiet contemplation. Entirely bathed in an elegant and vibrant blue, coloured dots float on the surface that shows subtle variations in tone. One area is brightly shone, as if reflecting the moonlight, thus adding depth to the plain coloured surface. Chu delves deep into the visual elements of natural scenery with an experimental frame of mind to find the simplest, purest expression of nature, creating his very own language of abstraction.
Line is an important element in painting; it composes the forms and demonstrates the brushwork of an artist. Chu's brushstrokes are rapid and ever-changing, with varied speeds, weights and rhythms. Lively and energetic, Chu's brushwork scales the image like a dancing snake. He once said, "I am from the East, and there are a lot of abstract elements within the core of our culture. For instance, our calligraphy is an abstract art." The fact that Chinese art does not stress the representation of form is also related to calligraphy. By utilising the 'bone method' to bring liveliness to brushwork, the imagery and spirit becomes the best representation of form. The strength of the character and the likeness of forms are all rooted in brushwork. Therefore, those who are good at painting would be good at writing calligraphy too. This indivisibility between calligraphy and paintings causes Chinese paintings to carry a strong element of calligraphy, in terms of lines and use of ink and to have their own abstract beauty. Though Chinese calligraphy and painting have different names, they essentially mean the same thing - one writes art while the other one draws. Brush and ink are not only about technique but also a carrier of emotion and spirit. Chu freely expresses his feelings through his brush and creates powerful imagery.
Chu firmly believed that the beauty of nature was not best communicated in words but on the canvas — hence the beautiful, flowing colours of his paintings, their rich and varied layering, and the strong, balanced rhythms of his brushwork. Chu often referred to his paintings as the visual depiction of music, where the notes translate into a medley of colourful dots intertwined onto a grand background of wind instruments. The scattered, disparate elements in his paintings combine and come together in a grand harmony. One cannot help but "see" the music in Unité profonde (Profound Harmony) (Lot 307): a symphony of lines, colours and dots energetically mingling in a rhythmic dance, mimicking past-faced notes alternating with legato phrasings. In order to seize the fast-changing and fluid light, Chu developed a highly-diluted translucent paint that rendered an ethereal brushstroke. Oil paint had never been so thin, almost like a wash, making colour feel so fine and delicate. Flot de lumières (Stream of light) (Lot 306), captures feathery large brushstrokes cascading through denser masses, with light-coloured touches of different sizes bouncing off the centre amongst interlaced fine lines, showing off Chu's masterful use of colour to depict light.
Diffractions alertes 2 (Alert diffractions 2) (Lot 325) experiments with this technique in more playful colours and contrasts. The point of light is set in the lower half of the composition, with large brushstrokes shooting vertically, giving the impression of an ascending energy. Atmosphère bleue V (Blue atmosphere V) (Lot 326) brings the spectator into a quiet contemplation. Entirely bathed in an elegant and vibrant blue, coloured dots float on the surface that shows subtle variations in tone. One area is brightly shone, as if reflecting the moonlight, thus adding depth to the plain coloured surface. Chu delves deep into the visual elements of natural scenery with an experimental frame of mind to find the simplest, purest expression of nature, creating his very own language of abstraction.