Oil on board

42.8 × 42.8 cm. 167/8 × 167/8 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom left

LITERATURE
Aug 1969, The Cosmorara Pictorial, No.158, Cosmorama Pictorial Publishing, Hong Kong, p.20
PROVENANCE
29 Nov 1995, Jing Feng Auction Company Hong Kong Auction, Lot 268
Private Collection of Mr. Lau Chung Hang, student of Ting Yinyung

Note: This work will be included in the Ting Yinyung Catalogue Raisonné: Oil Paintings prepared by Rita Wong

“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
— Kandinsky
In 1910, when Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky produced his first abstract work he believed that the purpose of art was to depict the spirit of objects rather than their physical exterior. This represented an effort to escape the confines of perceived impressions and realist methodology, choosing instead to convey the painter’s observations and ideas as they relate to objects through dots, lines, surfaces, colors and composition. Such an approach created art that resonated with the mind of the viewer and marked the beginning of Western abstract painting. From the 1940s to the 1950s, “abstract expressionism” swept the world, influencing countless artists in its wake. However, abstract art can be divided into two distinct schools, “lyrical abstraction” which focuses on emotions as showcased through rich colors and line changes, and “geometric abstraction” that tends towards rational, partitioned blocks and monochrome compositions. Intellectually, this also increased interest in the ideas of Laozi, Zhuangzi and Taoist theories from China, Japanese calligraphy, Zen Buddhism, Freud’s writings on the unconscious etc. It also encouraged artists to express what they saw in their own unique way and explore the “unseen” world, taking painting on a path that was both more expansive and free.
In China, although the word “abstract” was not used the concept of abstraction was first discussed hundreds of years ago. Indeed, Chinese characters take the shape of an object and condense it into a simplified semiotic. In the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), metaphysician Wang Bi talked about: “meaning before appearance and conveying spirit.” By the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the term “freehand” was in use, succinctly conveying the essence of an object. By the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), painter Xu Wei took this a step further “seeking life rhythm rather than form,” all of which were considerations of abstract concepts. As such, when Eastern artists encountered the abstract expressionist trend from the West, they took succor from their own traditional roots, developing a unique painting vocabulary that enriched abstract art as a whole.
In the China Guardian spring auction we offer an exquisite collection of outstanding Eastern and Western works from 10 different artists that showcase 20th century abstract art. These include Ting Yinyung, Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-chun and Lin Show Yu (Richard Lin) from China, as well as A. R. Penck and Gerhard Richter from Germany, Yayoi Kusama from Japan, Rhee Seundja and Chun Kwang Young from South Korea. Through the diverse approach to painting embraced by these artists, viewers are offered a rich array of abstract content and invited to experience “soul resonance.”

Pictographic Meaning – New Wine in Old Bottles
The Artistic Wisdom of Ting Yinyung
The works of Ting Yinyung come from an artistic vision that transcended the artistic outlook of the times in which the artist lived. Ting was particularly adept at depictions of the Lingnan area (south of the Nanling Mountains referring to the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan in China and northern Vietnam). He also studied in Japan, but never focused too much on any particular cultural tradition, preferring to create art based on a local foundation that brought together Eastern and Western elements, an approach that made him a pioneer in the modernization of Chinese oil painting.
“Chinese Characters” as a Reflection of the Artist
Double-Sided Oil Paintings in the 1960s
In 1920, Ting Yinyung enrolled at the Tokyo Fine Arts School where he studied oil painting. As part of the modernist movement, the artist’s brushwork incorporated bold innovations in terms of color and lines that led to him being dubbed the “Matisse of the East.” After 1949, Ting lived in Hong Kong and over many years of teaching and creating was influenced by such ancient literati as Bada Shanren (1626-1705), Shi Tao (1642-1797) and Jin Nong (1687-1763), focusing on “Chinese characters” to create a unique style that combined Western color expressionism and the spirit of traditional Chinese ink art.
Currently, only 135 oil paintings by Ting Yinyung are known to exist and works based on “Chinese characters,” one of the most important research focuses of Ting’s artistic career, are even rarer and more precious. China Guardian (HK) Auctions is proud to offer as part of its spring auction two easily identifiable double-sided Chinese character oil paintings by Ting Yinyung. The provenance of the works is well documented, making their auction a rare and fortuitous event.
External Boldness Tempered by Inner Elegance
In Oracle Bone Inscription/Orchid (Double-sided, 1964)(Lot 706) the artist uses expressive brushwork to “depict” different ancient characters: In the upper part of the work is a “cow” (Niu) which references Ting’s penname “Niujun.” In the lower part of the painting, the characters “Hu” (tiger) and “Hong” are juxtaposed based on the fact that Ting was born in the year of the tiger and previously used the pseudonym “Ting Hu.” On the reverse of the work there is a simple ancient-style painting of the character for “Orchid” (Lan), which differs markedly from the multidimensional time and space constructed from color and medium of earlier similarly themed works. Indeed, the image space in Oracle Bone Inscription/Orchid is akin to that employed in a square single-character seal, fully reflecting the shape and appeal of ancient bronze script. Based on the name of the work Oracle Bone Inscription/Orchid, it can be hypothesized that Ting produced it for his favorite pupil Guan Zilan, a renowned female painter from the Republican period. She studied oil painting in Japan in the 1920s and on returning to China in 1930 established the China Art Institute in Shanghai with other students who studied oil painting in Japan, including Chen Baoyi and Ting Yinyung. Thereafter, the three artists were inseparable for many years and the character for “Orchid” in this work also refers to Guan Zilan.
Both the simple and child-like drawing of the character for “Orchid” and the more decorous and steady character symbols on the other side of the work reveal the simple and ancient unadorned bronze script style of Ting Yinyung’s creative work. Moreover, the way in which he separates the characters from their language usage and makes them the focal point of an artistic work, showcases a sense of modernist disassociation generally associated with Western Cubism and even Pop art, highlighting the Western origins of Ting’s painting style.
Paradise in Chinese Characters
Fish and Tripod/Ancient Chinese Patterns (Double-sided)
In 1969, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) professor Pierre Ryckmans published an article in Cosmorama Pictorial Monthly on the most recent works by Ting Yinyung. One of the three pieces he selected by the artist from this period was Fish and Tripod (1965)(Lot 705), all of which were reproduced in the article. This work was later collected by Liu Chung-hsin, an artist who was taught Chinese painting in the 1970s by Ting at CUHK. In 1995, Liu discovered and bought rare oil paintings by his former teacher at auction, keeping them for over two decades and the sale of these works is of particular note.
In the painting, the artist depicts a fish with uplifted head and tail in simple brushstrokes, infused with the power and aesthetic of patterns that decorate prehistoric pottery works. Together with the directional arrow in the upper part of the work the two parts of the piece echo each other at a distance, an allusion to the internal relationship between the fish and the space in which it finds itself. In the lower part of the work, the “tripod” (Ding) is depicted in even simpler terms, creating a diametrically opposed internal dynamic with the rising object image above, which greatly increases the tension in the painting. In a departure from earlier work, the artist paints the objects against a paradise-like pink background. A review of Ting Yinyung’s oil paintings throughout his artistic career reveals only two works that use this color, the other being Horses (1966) owned by the Department of Fine Arts at CUHK.
In contrast to the gentle style of Fish and Tripod, the black/green ancient pattern on the back of the work is imbued with a sense of solemn dignity. Indeed, Ting uses an oracle bones inscription that approximates to “Turtle” (Gui) as an allusion to the original language context of oracle bone writings, thereby restoring through his art the historical truth of the early establishment of civilization. Moreover, the powerful conflict between the seemingly random strokes used to depict the fish and tripod and the patterns inscribed on traditional oracle bones, not only showcases the way in which the artist’s attitude to art oscillates between Eastern and Western ideas, Oracle Bone Inscription/Orchid also breaks with the limits of mediums and motifs, utilizing the way in which Eastern philosophy transcends form to create a freedom in which viewers can freely traverse between “ancient and modern elements.”

The Ting Yinyung I Knew
By Lau Chung Hang
I started to learn Western painting when I was seven years old and one day, completely by accident, I saw an ink painting by Ting Yinyung at a group exhibition at the University of Hong Kong. It made a big impression on me. At the age of 26 (1972), a friend introduced me to Ting’s private studio where I attended classes, learning ink painting and seal cutting. I later took more advanced studies in the UK. After returning to Hong Kong in 1983, I paid more attention to Ting’s oil paintings and in 1995 was fortunate enough to purchase the two-sided oil painting Fish and Tripod/Ancient Chinese Patterns at auction, which I deeply cherish. However, after more than 20 years I have decided it is time for someone else to enjoy the work.
A picture of the painting appeared in The Kaleidoscope magazine under the title “Tripod.” In the more than 20 years this piece has been part of my collection, every time I have looked at it I always focus on the fish in the middle and the very simple lines and shapes that resemble ancient pictographs. If we look at the composition of Fish and Tripod, the fish is at the center of the work and the tripod is external, which indicates the fish is the central element and indispensable to the title. That was why I changed the name of the work which Ting called Tripod to Fish and Tripod. I am sure he is looking down on us and finds that extremely amusing.
In discussing Fish and Tripod it is also useful to reference Structure II. The two works were painted using the same technique and have similar compositions. Although Structure II was painted three days before Fish and Tripod, the two can be considered sister pieces. It also has a square “Ting Hong” stamp, in which the style of the Ting character resembles an upwards pointing arrow. Moreover, an arrow can be seen in both pieces, an enduring testament to the variability of Ting Yinyung’s creative thinking.

Price estimate:
HKD: 650,000 - 850,000
USD: 83,300 - 109,000

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,298,000