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拍品專文
Human depiction can be seen in art as early as the Paleolithic age, the most famous of which was the 'Venus of Wineldorf'. Artistic dimensions of the human form highlight cultural values and societal attitudes toward gender, figurative art, and the relationship between humanity and the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Representations of the human body in art, whether identified as religious or secular, raise questions concerning structures of power, ideology, and identity. Artistic renderings and religious interpretations of the human body privilege it as a symbolic value and a political agent, especially during periods of protest against societal norms and definitions of gender as sexual identification. It is thus unsurprising that the human figure has been a subject of visual representation for artists seeking to explore the human condition through art over the decades, and has even developed into key tropes such as portraiture and the Nude, recognized in the canon of art history.
This season, Christie's is pleased to present Figurative Visions: Contemporary Southeast Asian Art from an Important Asian Collection, a group of works that ask the questions: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The role and meaning of the human body incorporates a diverse range of cultural forces, including but not limited to art and religion. Different cultures and eras interpret the meaning and value of the human body in distinctive ways.
The final work and the only sculpture in this erudite collection of works is, Higher Ground 1 by José John Santos III (Lot 461), which consists of a totem of cardboard boxes wrapped in fabrics. Initially, these appear to just be everyday non-descript items that are easily discarded, but on closer inspection, these objects point, indexically, to our own human existence both in their presence and their significance in our present-day material culture. Each of these works presented each have a singular visual vernacular and a unique interpretation of forms and figuration. However, all these works are joined by their desire to expound on the human condition to make sense of the world we live in today and celebrate our existence.
This season, Christie's is pleased to present Figurative Visions: Contemporary Southeast Asian Art from an Important Asian Collection, a group of works that ask the questions: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? The role and meaning of the human body incorporates a diverse range of cultural forces, including but not limited to art and religion. Different cultures and eras interpret the meaning and value of the human body in distinctive ways.
The final work and the only sculpture in this erudite collection of works is, Higher Ground 1 by José John Santos III (Lot 461), which consists of a totem of cardboard boxes wrapped in fabrics. Initially, these appear to just be everyday non-descript items that are easily discarded, but on closer inspection, these objects point, indexically, to our own human existence both in their presence and their significance in our present-day material culture. Each of these works presented each have a singular visual vernacular and a unique interpretation of forms and figuration. However, all these works are joined by their desire to expound on the human condition to make sense of the world we live in today and celebrate our existence.