Oil on canvas

80 x 65 cm 34 1/2×25 5/8 in

Signed in Chinese on bottom left

LITERATURE
2006, Chiu Ya-Tsai, Goethe Art Center, Taipei, p.145
PROVENANCE
Goethe Art Center， Taipei
Important private collection， AsiaThe art world in 1980s’ Taiwan was full of vitality and diversity. Numbers of artists were under the spotlight on the international stage for their genius art practices. Among all the brilliant artists emerging from this wave， Chiu Ya-Tsai was one of a kind. Known for his portraits， Chiu employed the line drawing techniques of Chinese ink wash painting， and exquisitely captured his surroundings. Sharing the complexities of humanity with works from litterateurs and thinkers at all times and in all lands， such as Confucius， Mencius， Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky， Chiu’s paintings resonate with universal viewers.
Invited by the important promoter of Hong Kong’s contemporary art， Johnson Chang， Chiu Ya-Tsai went to Hong Kong in 1989 for the two fold exhibition Chiu Ya-Tsai and Zheng Zaidong in Hanart TZ Gallery， which was so widely recognized that Chiu began to receive portrait commissions from many noted collectors in Hong Kong. Among the figures， Chiu had portrayed were the renowned philanthropist David Tang and the English politician David Davis. In 2012， Christie’s Hong Kong published a private collection catalogue for the famous German collector Anna Maria Jagdfeld. Several of Chiu’s portraits were included in this catalogue. It can be seen that Chiu’s works had been in favor among collectors， regardless of the regional boundaries. In this year’s autumn auctions， we are honored to offer two of Chiu’s representative works from the 80’s to the 90’s， Model （lot 804） and Arrogance （lot 803）.
With personal emotions involved，
Model depicts the unconscious beauty.
In 1994， Chiu Ya-Tsai had his solo exhibition Women in East District hold. Over 20 works exhibited all took women as the theme， which was a result of Chiu’s consistent observation of the East District since the 90’s. Created in 1993， Model borrows the style from Chinese figure painting in Tang dynasty. Through the subtle variations on the width and weight of the lines， Chiu unfolded the charisma and personalities of the depicted women. In this work， a young lady sits sideways in the center with eyes downcast and thoughts in the cloud. Her posture graceful， her neck slender， yet she doesn’t seem to realize what a charming body she has under the blue plaid dress. Such is the unconscious beauty. A breath of spring emanated from the verdant color on the background， which is in sharp contrast to the blue on the dress and the orange on the chair. This visual impact， together with the lady’s serene face， creates rich theatricality which tells the artist’s aesthetics orientation and taste towards women.
Arrogance represents the self-observation
of the good will hunter.
As an untutored painter， Chiu mentioned Picasso’s influence on him more than once. Such influence could be seen from Chiu’s relatively early portrait works， such as Arrogance which was created in 1985. In this work， the figure in the center appears melancholy and sombre， with his hidden hands intensifying the isolated status of his body. In the 80’s， Chiu Ya-T’sai frequented Wistaria Tea House， a culture salon founded by Zhou Yu， the discoverer of Chiu’s talent. In Zhou Yu’s opinion， there exists absolutely nothing that could reflect the times in Chiu’s paintings， coinciding with the inner monologue of the artist himself—I observe the reality， emerged in the creative flow. With the distance of the examination， a low self-esteemed young man， a conceited artist， a wandering soul eager to express itself through strokes and text， slowly came.

Price estimate:
HKD: 180,000 – 250,000
USD: 23,100-32,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 330,400