Ink and colour on silk

97 x 75 cm.38 1/4 x 29 1/2 in.

Signed and dated in Chinese，stamped with artist’s seal on lower right

Zhu Zhengming b.1979

‘If there are wrongdoings in this world，let them be all mine to shoulder； If there are sufferings among the beings，let them be all mine to endure.’

— Ashura’s Sacrificial Mantra

‘Zhu Zhengming majored in Chinese Painting at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts as an undergraduate，but turned to Mural Painting for her graduate studies. The open learning atmosphere of the Mural Painting Department changed her creative mind and approach to painting. Zhu’s path of art-making is as winding as her path of art-studying. She started from the classical schema of the Western Medieval World and eventually made her way to the spiritual origin of the East. Buddhism has a heavy influence on her understanding of Eastern spirituality. Her quest has extended from the Chinese Buddhism，which has much been influenced by Confucianism，to the mysterious and ancient Indian civilization. Inspired by a trip to Thailand，Zhu began to study diligently and systematically anything related to India. In her recent solo exhibition “Chauri”，she shared sketches she did in the spiritual country she had longed to visit but had never visited. Her latest series “Ashura” is a depiction of the angry，competitive malevolent deva with three faces and six arms in Indian mythology. Both the form and spirit of the works show that the artist has made a bigger challenge and high demand of herself.

“Ashura” is a five-piece series which was born out of the artist’s love for Nara，fond memories of her short but peaceful and pleasurable trip to the city，and regret for missing the chance to visit the Kohfukuji Temple and the statue of the young Ashura. Affected，comforted and calmed by the ethereal and unrestrained Ashura，the artist decided to express her impressions of the deity. She has chosen to work on silk in answer to her fondness for the distant past before paper became popular. Outlining on the silk before dyeing the material，the artist’s brushwork follows the traditional code.

Price estimate:
HKD：150,000 - 200,000
USD：19,350 - 25,800

Auction Result:
HKD : 212,400