Ink and colour on paper

53 × 67.5 cm. 20 7/8 × 26 5/8 in

Signed and dated in Chinese with artist's seal on bottom left; stamped with artist's seal on upper right
PROVENANCE
11 Apr 2004, Ravenel Taipei Spring Auction, Lot 18
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

My Heart Is Devoted to Ink, Infatuated with Illustration
The Masterpiece of Wu Guanzhong's Art on Paper

“A master has been discovered. His works may become emblematic of a radical change in the art of painting, and they open an avenue for us that leads to the world's most ancient culture. This is an extraordinary piece of work, which may be why the head of the Asian Department made a rare break with the unwritten rule of the British Museum that it only displays ancient relics. Gazing at the works of Wu Guanzhong, we are forced to admit that this Chinese master is the most unusual and surprising discovery of recent decades in modern painting…!”

――Roger Cohen

In 1992, the British Museum in London held a solo exhibition titled Wu Guanzhong: A Twentieth-Century Chinese Painter for Wu Guanzhong, breaking the Museum's unspoken convention of only displaying historical pieces. Wu Guanzhong became the first living artist to hold a solo exhibition there. The above is a quote from “Artist Opens a New Route to China”, an article written by Cohen, the editor-in-chief of the International Herald Tribune. Reflecting upon Wu Guanzhong's works from the 1980s, he shifted from producing oil paintings to creating on paper. His works encompass the variability in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy to incorporate gracefully winding lines, integrate the vibrant colour palette of Western painting to present the abstract aesthetics often sought in Western art, successfully achieving an important milestone in his initiative to “modernize Chinese painting”. This autumn auction presents Wu Guanzhong's representative works: The semi-abstract Wisteria(Lot 80) and the pen sketch Wangshi Garden in Suzhou(Lot 81) , both pieces manifest his supreme achievements in his creations.

In the Distant Memory of Floating Flower Petals, Interwoven and Tangled Vines
Representative Work of the Wisteria Series

“I do not choose the subject of my paintings, I merely follow my feelings. I have never painted flowers, but I have made several paintings of wisteria. The first was when I saw a wisteria planted by Wen Zhengming at the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou. I was instantly drawn into the network of interwoven vines. A few years later, I finally made a few works with the subject matter of vines and withies, all named Wisteria. Simultaneously, I tried my best to expand the variety of wisteria in my home yard, attempting to breed new species. If I could cover most species of wisteria, then adorning them with colours would become a pleasing act of mere enhancement of the plant.”

―― Wu Guanzhong

Wu Guanzhong painted his first wisteria work in 1956. The flower theme was his rare but beloved theme throughout his lifetime. This Wisteria piece was completed in 1997. In the figurative art piece, he used the modelling language of dots, lines, planes, and the colours of folk art to sublimate the illustration of interwoven vines and aerial roots, dramatically revealing his inspirations derived from scenes and objects.

Strong and Soft, Steady and Lively

Employing the “five colours of ink” concept in Chinese painting and the changes in the weight of ink, the painting creates a sense of space between the front and the back. The lines of the tree trunk in the centre are rough and meandering, emphasizing the main structure with thick ink. The lines on the left, the right, and the back gradually become thinner, forming a sense of space through the contrasts of slenderness. The lines circulate freely from bottom to top, showing a strong “upward vitality”.

Wisteria and Floating Flower Petals, Blending Rhyme with Rhythm

Wisteria is covered in vivid colours such as chrome yellow, orchid purple, and pine green. The three elements of branches, vines, and floating flower petals create the rhymes and rhythms of volatility. As Wu Guanzhong said, “Use the rhyme of the East to consume the shape and colour of the West”. In this work, he used ink as the “root” and colour as “floating flower petals” to express the abstract language of the West in the Eastern scenery.

First Auction Venue for Works from Important Exhibitions

Landscape painting is an important genre in Wu Guanzhong's creations. Among his the landscapes in his works, the gardens of Suzhou was his favourite. The oil painting Wangshi Garden in Suzhou produced in 1973 is his first work of the Gardens In Suzhou series. In 1980, during a trip back home from Beijing, Wu Guanzhong completed the paper sketch of Wangshi Garden in Suzhou. The piece was personally selected by the artist himself for display in an important exhibition tour hosted by The Plum Blossom Gallery, which was held in Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong in 1990.

According to the book HM6: Monography on Wu Guanzhong, the text writes, “In the early spring of that year, Hong Kong Plum Blossom Gallery held an important tour of Master Wu. It was a solo exhibition with 74 paintings on display. On the first day of the exhibition, there were people waiting in line outside the gallery door at 4:00 a.m., and 50 paintings were sold within an hour and a half after the store opened!” This work was purchased directly from the said exhibition by the current owner. It has been carefully preserved for ten years. This piece was released at this auction, thus proving the significance of this work and the collector's love for it.

As Unconstrained as Floating Clouds and Flowing Water, a House by the Bridge

This work uses wide-angle perspective and scattered composition, revealing an open front view of the scene to viewers, showing the garden that features “houses by the bridges over the flowing stream”. From left to right, women and children promenade along the “the Leading to Quietuele Bridge” as they indulge in the beautiful scenery. The ancient trees in the centre are towering. “Pavilion Where the Moon Meets the Wind” could be seen between the trees, a Chinese poetic description of the moon and its two reflections in the river and in the mirror inside the pavilion; on the right, “Barrier Clouds Terrace” is erected on the side, with osmanthus tree inside it permeating the garden with their floral fragrance. The fish swimming in the foreground is the crucial finishing touch, disrupting the mirror-like still surface of the pond and adding vigorous movement to the piece.

Price estimate:
HKD: 600,000 - 800,000
USD: 76,400 - 101,900

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,200,000