Oil on canvas

46 × 38 cm. 18 1/8 × 15 in.

Dated and signed in English on bottom right
PROVENANCE
27 Nov 2011, Christie's Hong Kong Auction, Lot 1583
28 May 2017, Christie's Hong Kong Auction, Lot 475
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

Crystallized Brilliance, Tough and Tenderness of His Glamour
Kim Tschang-Yeul's Pearly Poetry

“I was struck by the emptiness, the nothingness of the water drop, and by its beauty in the fullness of its refraction and reflection of light, by its significance.”

――Kim Tschang-Yeul

Kim Tschang-yeul was born during the time when Korea was colonized by Japan. The social and cultural changes prompted him to take art creation as his vocation. In 1957, he established the “Korean Modern Artists' Association” with Park Seo-Bo, Jung Chang-sub, and other companions. Together with his mentor Kim Whanki, they led the Art Informel Movement in Korea. In 1969, he moved to Paris to further explore the art world. Having witnessed the fragility of life during World War II, he believed that the purity of water droplets could heal souls and recuperation could be achieved in the equilibrium of the natural water cycle. In 1972, Kim Tschang-Yeul begun creating works with the subject matter of water droplets, which is now known as his most iconic style. Institutes such as The Center Pompidou in Paris, the National Museum of Modern And Contemporary Art in Korea, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Japan, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston have collected his water-drop-themed creations. In 1996, the French government awarded him the “Order of Knighthood”, the highest honor in the art world. in 2012, he was awarded the “National Cultural Medal” of South Korea, once again proving the charm of his works.

Everlasting Tenderness and Preserverance

In Waterdrops (Lot 89) created in 1957, Kim Tschang-yeul demonstrated hyper-realistic portayal of water droplets through depicting the shape and sheen, conveying an artistic pattern that aligns with life and soul. Kim delicately infiltrated the brown jute cloth with oil paint, recreating the translucence and shadows of water droplets. Water consdenses into droplets, scattering all over the cloth as if arbitrarily derived from morning dew, rain, mountain springs, and waves. They gather into tiny spheres, slightly absorbed and its remnant suspended above the cloth. Some are about to slide off the cloth. The variety of different forms manifests the infinite contours of water.

Every droplet is presented in unique form, telling their incomparable life experience of immeasurable encounters. Every moment of solidification is like a measure of time by the light of day and the shadows of night. Amidst the tenderness, each droplet encapsulates indestructible power. Kim presented a highly realistic visual imagery to his viewers, deeply stimulating his viewers' visual sensory. As one stares at the piece, all commotion and troubles disappear, dragging one into a distant void, luring one into meditation.

The Seeping Culture in Wisdoms and Poetry

In 1980, Kim Tschang-Yeul was residing in Paris. He began to explore ways to establish distinguished artistic styles in a foreign country. He recalled the calligraphy taught to him by his grandfather when he was a child and selected texts with cultural meanings to integrate into his water droplet art, hence developing the Recurrence series. In the 2016 Recurrence STM201610 (Lot 90), he used the “Yin” technique to vividly contrast the realistic structure of water droplets with the romance of prose, embedding lyrical implications within the piece, a rare expression in the Recurrence series.

The background of the piece is composed of Thousand Character Classic, a Confucian text recording the talents and charities of the generals from ancient times, further deepening the meaning of the saying, “learn from history in hindsight”. Featuring the Confucian text, Kim intended to introduce cultural elements of his roots using oriental context as the background for water droplet refractions. The background colour alternates between khaki and dark brown, replicating the texture of wet cloth soaked in water. The artist developed a method of smearing and infiltrating the back of the cloth with oil paint so that water droplets could be suspended on the surface of the front. The calligraphy is arranged in organized rows, aligning with the positioning of the water droplets and supporting the water droplets with the straight and tough strokes of the font. Concurrently, the calligraphy whispers meanings to the water droplets, retelling incidents of history, memory, and life. Within the connection between water droplets and calligraphy, there is rebirth of the contemplative inner world, encouraging musings to “recur”!

Price estimate:
HKD: 300,000 - 500,000
USD: 38,200 - 63,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 456,000