Ink, acrylic and collage mounted on Masonite

122 x 61 cm x 2. 48 x 24 in.x 2

Signed in Chinese with artist's stamp on bottom left; Titled, dated, signed and labeled on the reverse of left piece, located on the reverse of right piece
PROVENANCE
Downtown Gallery, New York
Private Collection, U.S.A
29 Nov 2015, Christies' Hong Kong Autumn Auction, Lot 594
Private Collection, Asia

Note: A label of Downtown Gallery, New York is affixed on the reverse

Boundless Talent and Endless Passion, Immersed in Mountains and River

“Although I have left China, Chinese culture has never left me.”
——Tseng Yuho

In the 20th century, there were many outstanding talents in the Chinese ink painting field, Tseng Yuho was a young woman brimming with artistic talents and ideas, not to be outdone by men. She was born into a scholarly family in Beijing and studied painting with Fu Jin since childhood. In 1942 She was admitted to the Fine Arts Department of Fu Jen University in Beijing. British art historian Michael Sullivan once commented in Arts and Artists of Twentieth-Century China that Tseng's works “blend ancient and modern, Chinese and Western, which resonates and echos of the core characteristics of ancient masters in the contemporary vocabulary”. This shows the recognition gained by Tseng in the Chinese art history. At the end of the Cold War in 1972, US President Nixon, on his first visit to China, presented Tseng Yuho's catalogue Chinese Calligraphy to MAO Zedong as a diplomatic gift, further showcasing her greatness.

Classical Style with Contemporary Touch, a Plethora of Change

Tseng Yuho moved to Hawaii from Beijing in 1949 and lived on Oahu Island, a land of abundance and unusual geography. She originally used a form of western collage supplemented by traditional ink painting techniques, to interpret what she saw. After experiencing the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, she was prompted to develop “dsui hua”. A technique that was based on the abstract and inspired by the Chinese art of papermaking. Layered ink, acrylic color, gold and silver foil and other media were combined on rice paper, presenting the painting with multiple layers.

Bringing Life beyond the Painting

The work is a square composition composed of diptych. Three soft and rolling peaks are interlacing, while mountains rise and fall like waves. In the middle of the picture, the artist further divides the work. The golden ground and the jungle sway independently, unveiling a slow and uncurving perspective like a traditional painting scroll. The moist black and warm brown ink in the distance create a clear ink in texture. The texture is akin to linen fiber rice paper spread. Additional foil out the eyes of the golden peaks glimmer as bright as the setting sun. The artist combines her personal experience to create “The Republic”, leading the viewer into a quiet, distant, harmonious and comfortable sensory space.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200,000 – 300,000
USD: 25,800 – 38,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 236,000