Ink on paper

104.5 × 113 cm. 41 1/8 × 44 1/2 in.

Signed in pinyin and dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Asia Art Center, Taipei
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center, Taipei

Isolated Shadow Chasing Light, Blooming One's Own Life
The Artistic Mood of Gao Xingjian, a Nobel Prize-wining Author

As the first Chinese writer who won the Nobel Prize in literature, Gao Xingjian's literary talent has compelling evidence at home and abroad. Beyond being an eminent writer, he is also a master in the field of ink wash painting, whose paintings illustrate the profoundness of introspection through the combination of entity and emptiness of eastern ink and the abstract theories of western thoughts. Since the 1980s and 1990s, he has showcased extensive individual exhibitions in France, Switzerland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2003, Marseille, France gave art events entitled as “Year of Gao Xingjian”. And in 2015, six of his prominent works were exhibited and added to the permanent collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Belgium during his major exhibitions across Europe. In 2019, he was invited by the French government to mount a solo exhibition called Calling for a New Renaissance in Chaumont Castle, which highlighted his arresting achievements in art.

Shadow is one of his works that was completed in 2004. The artwork merges the flowing feature of ink with the focal length feeling of photography, letting unicolour ink deform multidimensional space to reveal the unique “Internal Perspective” as the Zen landscape of inner self. Through the rendering of writing brush from wet to dry, and ink tinted faintly or in darker hues, light and shadows are blended to display a dynamic feature. On the left side, the light source created embraces symbolic representation. In the middle, the light ink is rendered horizontally to imply a fluctuation in mood. Though standing alone, the figure in the picture demonstrates an unbending power with its' abstruseness. The rising arm indicates its' deep longing for light, which triggers the narrative aesthetics of literature. Just as Gao Xingjian wandering in his apprehension towards his inner self, searching for the faith statement of his creative breakthrough, the detached charm of ink composes contemporary artistic dialogues that reflect the unique eastern spirit and delivers the true understanding of life.

Price estimate:
HKD: 120,000 – 180,000.
USD: 15,500 – 23,200.

Auction Result:
HKD: 200,600