Acrylic and charcoal on canvas

152 × 198 cm. 59 7/8 × 78 in.

Signed and titled in English, and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
2 Jun 2013, Ravenel Taipei Spring Auction, Lot 659
Collection of Pink Bear, Singapore

Majestic Words, Timeless Melody
Yang Chihung's Showcases of Aesthetic Spirit

Over a creative career of almost 50 years, the painting style of Yang Chihung has undergone six stages of exquisite evolution. The Vital Force (Lot 72) was created in 1987 and represented a break from the artist's earlier realist style after visiting the United States. Indeed, his Civilization and Archaeology series combed romanticism and symbolism, highlighting the artist's ultimate concern with the spirit of nature and culture. In contrast, Fugue (Lot 73) is an excellent example of a more recent work that received much praise and is widely viewed as a creative peak in Yang's "Eastern Poetry" period, re-presenting the abstract beauty of rhythm, through vigorous and unrestrained brushwork.

Magnificent History of Civilization: Eternal Vital Force

In 1987, Yang Chihung held an important museum-based exhibition at the Costa Rica Museo de Arte Costarricense (Museum of Costa Rican Art) during his early years in the US, and used the opportunity to visit tropical virgin forests in Central America. The Vital Force is an outstanding work completed in this period and with its civilization and archeological like images boldly places a thick, straight piece of ancient timber at the centre of the work. On the left-hand side, the wood sprouts new branches and lush leaves, while on the right its roots take hold of the universe, endlessly propagating life in the boundlessness time of changing seasons.

In this painting, Yang uses the unique roughness of a charcoal pencil to depict the mottled texture of the wood grain, and together with the free and easy framing of acrylic colour on top of this, the faintly discernible orange radiance on the tree slowly spills into the greenness of nature. It reaches all the way to the dark blue at the bottom of the work which symbolizes the ocean, drawing in the imagination of viewers. Moreover, the tree at the centre of the painting both symbolizes the primordial vitality of nature, the kindling of human civilization and the multiple inducements that underpin the origins of humanity. At the same time, the overlapping time and space in the painting also speaks to the two-way flow of "ancient times and present," "heaven and earth," "East and West," "nature and civilization." The work is replete with classic romantic features, as if the abstract forms re-present Gauguin's Mata Mua (In Olden Times) in which the artist mused on the origins of civilization, ingeniously conveying the ultimate dualism of nature in withering and flourishing, stillness and movement, past and new life, together with boundless exploding vital energy.

Beautiful Music: Brilliant Fugue Composition

From 2011, Yang Chihung took his former interest in the mechanics of natural flora and calligraphic lines and expanded this to include the high refinement of undulating melodies, elevated to a comprehensive collection in "Eastern poetry." The work for auction Fugue is an abstract representation in which the artist combines Western music and Eastern calligraphy.

This work takes "Fugue," a popular vehicle for polyphonic compositions in the Baroque period as its focus, fully embracing the unique "one song, three harmony" charm of this Western musical form. The overall structure of the painting appears loose and free, but is imbued with its own elaborate internal logic. On the left and right sides of the work, approximate rotational symmetry opens up the picture, with thick ink lines that originate in the wild-cursive lines of calligraphy gradually making their way upwards from the bottom of the painting, clearly and deftly imitating the range changes of transcending octaves. In line with this, the colour of the space above and below changes from light to thick, infusing the piece with competing and complementing elements as well as tension. Thereafter, in the high pitch area at the top, the back and forth of the surging and indomitable brushwork creates multiple layers of ripples, like a wonderful polyphony with the same rhythm emanating from different voice types, giving birth to an aesthetic with extended undulations. Within this scenario there is also a red-hot orange light under which the brilliance stirs up and brims with the flamboyance of life. This highlights the undulating tension of the same rhythm and ultimately returns to the comfort of pure colour, ensuring the lingering tune remains unforgettable long after.

The precise and rigorous polyphonic structure of this work fully showcases the dramatic tension and rhythmic aesthetic of abstract brushwork. As viewers look at this painting it tugs at the heartstrings, providing the very pinnacle of audio-visual enjoyment, imbued with the life truth of musical spirit.

Price estimate:
HKD: 280,000 – 380,000
USD: 35,800 - 48,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 336,000