White Marble Sculpture

76×54×48 cm. 29 7/8×21 2/8×18 7/8 in

Poem written and signed in Chinese with one artist’s seal on upper center
Edition：4/6

EXHIBITED
14 Nov– 31 Dec 2015, Painting without figure—2015 Tung Lung Hsu solo Exhibition Tour, Pata Gallery, Shanghai
20 Jan – 14 Feb 2016, Painting without figure—Tung Lung Hsu solo Exhibition, Dong Men Art Museum, Tainan, Taiwan
23 Mar – 31 May 2017, INTROSPECTION Artistic Generations in Asia, Longmen Art Projects, Hong Kong
26 Sep – 12 Oct 2017, Spirit·Carved·Painted Tung Lung Hsu solo Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou

PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Between
Strong
and Gentle
Hsu Tung Lung’s
Hero
Born in Pingtung, Taiwan, in 1947, Hsu Tung Lung graduated from National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Fine Arts in 1967. His artistic creations encompass a wide range of styles, from planar to three-dimensional pieces, as he engages in the relentless pursuit of artistic perfection. He is best known for his white marble sculptures, which were largely inspired by sculptures from the ancient Greek and Roman-influenced Renaissance period. Many of these figurines are clothed in classical-style robes, but Hsu incorporates his own personal philosophy and spiritual outlook. The subjects’ robes display an elegant and soft style, which derives from the wrinkling effect of Chinese rice paper and whirling effect when blown upon by the wind. Hsu Tung Lung captures this effect with keen sensitivity, using it as an external form to express the inherent strength and tenacity of his characters. As early as 1983, he held a jade carving solo exhibition at the Apollo Gallery in Taipei. Two years later, in a 1985 documentary entitled Taipei National Palace Museum Tour by NHK （Japan’s national public broadcasting organization）, Hsu Tung Lung was positioned as the quintessential artist of modern jade carving, thus solidifying his position in the world of modern sculpture. Later, he held solo exhibitions at a variety of institutions, including the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, National Art Museum of China, and Guangdong Museum of Art, and he remains active in the Chinese art scene today. The work currently being auctioned, Hero, was created in 2014, and represents the pinnacle work of his jade carvings.
In traditional Eastern ideology, a “hero” is someone who gives off an impression of power and invincibility. This fits well with the solid and dense texture of white marble. With great skill, Hsu Tung Lung creates elegantly flowing robes and highly dynamic body language. From the front, the characters present a king-like majesty and heroic spirit. From the side, the character’s classy posture and waving sleeves are revealed； he appears to be arrogantly looking askance, unperturbed by the large number of enemies he sees. At the same time, he seems to be staring out into the world and thinking about how to bring stability to his kingdom, revealing a spirit of fraternal love. Hero is tilted back about 30 degrees without any support, yet it can easily be placed on any flat surface, exhibiting the artist’s superb mastery of his chosen medium. Through a rigorous creative process, Hsu Tung Lung expresses his thoughts on traditional culture, showing a dexterous and poetic quality free from the shackles of form, achieving the perfect balance between the dynamic and static and between the firm and supple.

Price estimate:
HKD: 120, 000 - 220, 000
USD: 15, 400 - 28, 200

Auction Result:
HKD: 377,600