Oil on canvas

60 × 81.3 cm. 23 5/8 x 32 in.

Signed in pinyin on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by an important Asian collector from the artist

Beauty of Consolidation in Abstraction
Jiang Dahai’s Transformation Work Old Wall
French−Chinese artist Jiang Dahai is known for his abstract landscapes, although he was at first more of a realist. The gradual turn toward abstract freehand began as Jiang started recreating natural scenery through unclear, foggy, and dream-like light. Many realistic landscapes were created when Jiang first arrived in France in 1986, but it was not until his Wall series that he showed his talent for the abstract, marking a transformation in his personal artistic expression. Old Wall depicts the tumbledown house outside the artist’s studio in Paris. The walls are far from realist, with the dark tones highlighting the solemn, imposing sight of the old city, reminiscent of the beauty of consolidation that can often be found in old photographs.
The layout of the Old Wall is well-arranged, and the dilapidation and visible pipes are intertwined with the modern building in the distance, which can be seen through the gap between broken walls. Compared to the overall neat design, the old worn-out walls seem irregular and unsettling. While depicting their structure, Jiang mainly used abstract expression techniques, such as independent, colored blocks of different sizes and fuzzy contour lines, which divide the walls into multiple segments. This technique weakens the sense of realism and gives the picture a disjointed visual effect. Jiang consciously used only browns, grays, and earthy yellows to give the image a silent and somber atmosphere, reminiscent of the beauty of consolidation found in old photographs. He excels at bringing out abstract elements in natural and human-made scenery, and complex, unreal structures on old walls he depicted inspired him and further strengthened his determination to pursue abstraction.

Price estimate:
HKD: 40,000 - 60,000
USD: 5,100 - 7,700

Auction Result:
HKD: --