Acrylic on canvas

130 × 162.5 cm. 51 1/8 × 64 in.

Dated on the reverse

LITERATURE
1993, Chen Ting-Shih 80 Years Old Retrospective Exhibition, Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung, p. 102
2017, Silence・Dream: Collecting the Art Walker Chen Ting-Shih, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, Taichung, p. 72
EXHIBITED
25 Dec 1993 - 13 Mar 1994, Chen Ting-Shih 80 Years Old Retrospective Exhibition, Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung

PROVENANCE
Asia Art Center, Taipei
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center, Taipei

Thunder on the Ground, the Majestic Mental State
The Appearance of Chen Ting-Shih's Rare Masterpiece on Canvas

As the “national treasure” in the eyes of poet Chu Ko; “an independent art history” described by art critic Viki Lu; and the “simple guide” of artist Shiy De-Jinn, Chen Ting-Shih is regarded as a pioneer of post-war modern abstraction art creation in Asia.

Born in a renowned family in FuJian Province in 1913, he suffered from accidental deafness at the age of eight. In 1937, he entered the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. In the following year, he was inspired by Lu Xun and devoted himself to the creation of woodcut prints. He published works in a socially critical style and set up his style and reputation. In 1947, he moved to Taiwan. During the ten years of White Terror, he studied literature and art history. In 1957, he restarted painting and embraced his productive period. From the time when he co-founded the “China Modern Printmaking Association” in 1958 and joined the “May Painting Association” in 1960, Chen has been shaping the development of oriental abstract modern art, including printmaking, ink painting, acrylic painting, sculpture, and many other forms. He presents the majestic oriental imageries in multiple forms, and has been gaining recognition from international art circles. From 1959 to 1972, he was selected as the artist of Sao Paulo Biennale five times, and his work Sting won the first prize in the Korean International Biennial Print Exhibit. His works have been collected by Rockefeller Foundation, Cincinnati Museum of Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, etc.

Among his works, the creation of the acrylic color canvas is considered to be one of the most distinctive type. Given there are no more than 40 pieces of this kind surviving, it is our honor to present one of them, The Dawn (Lot 62) at this auction. It was included in the “ Retrospect of Chen Ting-Shih's Eighty Years Exhibition” held by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in 1994. It is one of the thirteen large-scale (over 162x130 cm) works among all the works on the canvas. The importance and rarity are self-evident.

The Sunrise and the River Are Red than Fire, the Blast and the Thunder Amuse the Autumn Rain

In 1975, Chen Ting-Shih was invited to visit and hold an exhibition in the United States. In New York, he not only visited Hsia Yan, Han Hsiang-ning, and other old friends, but also visited major art museums to experience Western art, and also visited famous mountains and rivers with Denver as the core. After returning to Taiwan in 1977, he tried to combine the usage of acrylic and canvas, creating his first work on canvas. The Dawn is the exquisite work of its prime, showing a high degree of mastery of the media, and the serious consideration of the composition and layout. On the huge canvas, he firstly uses large red and green blocks to form the visual space, with strong impact from strong contrast.

For example, the shining red color of “Red Sun” constitutes the glorious light of the day, and the yellow color in the corners is like the golden light of the sun hidden in the clouds. The imagery imbues the chic sense, as to quote poet Bai Li “the bright spring inspires me with a smoke scene; the wonderful nature presents itself to me with materials for poem creation.”

What constitutes yin and yang is the greenery below, blending with the gloomy indigo, just like the gorgeous imagery described by the “poetic god” Juyi Bai's “the sunrise and river are red than fire, river water in spring is green as blue”. On the canvas, Chen presents a style that looks like the silky cracks on the sugarcane plate prints. This kind of thick and thin white pen strokes interaction creates the rhythm of the virtual and reality intersection and bring us the wonderful subtilty of “the blast and the thunder amuse the autumn rain”. The collision between the colors melts into the invisible and intangible world. Sometimes, it seems that the stormy waves cut through the earth in late spring, always moving and running.

Chen blends the traditional brushwork and modern acrylic color with his abstract thoughts. His “form” moves towards Western modernity, while “inner” is filled with Zen Buddhism and Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's philosophical thinking. He masters the control of his poetic sentiment with an abstract method of high degree. With silent poetry, he praises the world and eternity.

At the same auction, we present his another print Untitled (Lot 63), in which he uses strong red and black solid colors to create the sense of day-night alternation, which could only be seen in the ancient rubbings, humbling and striking.

Price estimate:
HKD: 600,000 - 800,000
USD: 77,400 – 103,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,085,600