Ink on ragpaper，diptych

70 x 100 cm.27 1/2 x 39 3/8 in.

Signed ‘T’ang’ in English and ‘Haiwen’ in Chinese on lower right
PROVENANCE　France Private Collection，France.

T’ang Haywen
1927-1991
In the development and evolution of Western abstract art, many artists were inspired by Chinese traditional culture, art and calligraphy to integrate oriental traditional writing art forms and ideas into Western techniques, T’ang Haywen is one of the representatives.
Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, T’ang Haywen learned calligraphy since childhood, so he is skillful in the use of lines, and has a real understanding and appreciation for poise and charm of Oriental lines. In 1948, he went to France for a study tour, received the abstract forms of West expression. Because he cut into the pulses of European modern painting with an Oriental view, so it is naturally that he has transferred his understanding of calligraphical lines onto painting, assimilated concepts of Chinese philosophical thoughts for all things in universe into his creations, integrated Eastern and Western arts, made good use of ink painting and creative forms of diptych and triptych, and assimilated transcendence of meditation and circulation of breath into his brush gestures, so in his works pauses and transitions of brush and ink are freely used, exuding a unique personal oriental trait, and structures of ink mutually correspond with virtuality and actuality of space, making his works full of emotional tension and rhythmic dynamics.

In early 1960s, T’ang Haywen began to study ancient Chinese books including “Dao De Jing”, “Mustard Seed Garden”, so under the inspiration of traditional Chinese culture, art and calligraphy, he had integrated ancient Chinese philosophy into his creation, and by 1970s his oriental-style ink painting abstract works had achieved a particularly mature realm. This work “The great Ultimate (Tai Ji)” was created in 1970, exactly in the important stage of creation of the artist. The artist once said: “Painting is precisely energy.” In the works of T’ang Haywen, the “energy” lies in his extension for ideas of Taoist philosophy and Chinese calligraphy. In the picture, in addition to T’ang Haywen’s classic art look and skillful calligraphical competency expressed by the extraordinary momentum formed by churning and galloping brush moves, and the space sense of contrasting virtuality and actuality created by intentionally left blanks, the composition of this work adopted a rare perfect circle, and used dichotomy to evenly cut and placed in the center of two frames of the picture, showing the concept of Taoist “Tai Chi gives birth of two appearances – Ying and Yang”. Its circle is completed by one brush stroke of the artist, in the left half of the circle mountain rocks seem looming, one stream of creek meanders out from the circle and extends to fully fill the right side of the picture, thick ink color is compressed in the left side of the picture, both the obvious block structure and the figurative tendency are a rare expression rarely seen in T’ang Haywen works, more conveying the Taoist cosmology of Tai Chi gives birth of heaven and earth. “The great Ultimate (Tai Ji)” symbolizes the core of T’ang Haywen’s art, its exceptionally abundant and rich dramatic tension picture shows its more precious value and outstanding nature in the same series of works.

Price estimate:
HKD：180,000 - 250,000
USD：23,200 - 32,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 437,000