Gouache on paper

45.1×37.3 cm 17 3/4×14 5/8 in

PROVENANCE
Private collection， Asia

Note： This work is accompanied by a certificate of registration issued by Yoshihara Jiro’s Registration CommitteeIn recent years， Japan’s most important artistic group of the second half of the twentieth century， the Gutai Group， has received a great deal of international attention and criticism. New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum have also held large-scale Gutai Group retrospective exhibitions， both of which have had roles to play in terms of both academia and markets， and the founder of the Gutai Group， Yoshihara Jiro， has already become an emblematic figure in international avant-garde art.
Circles are Yoshihara Jiro ’s artistic standpoint and spiritual symbol. They are not just his personal symbol， but also the spiritual symbol of the Gutai Group， originating conceptually in the ensō of Zen Buddhism and combining Yoshihara’s interpretations of Western abstract art and Eastern calligraphy. Circles is a series he began to work on since the 1960s； in this creation progress， the artist discovered the unique method that conformed to his particular character， the perfect fit with the “new sense of spirituality” that he expressed and pursued. Untitled， which we are displaying here on this occasion， is considered the emblematic work of this series. Although it looks as if it was completed with one single stroke， the piece was actually the result of precise calculation as to the ratio of black to white， and meticulous advance planning and artistic preparation. The unrestrained， natural impression is intimately connected with calligraphy， but at the same time surpasses the ideographic function of calligraphy. The artist managed to transform the oriental symbolic element of circle into an abstract form rich in personal distinctiveness and philosophical implication by applying his abstract expressionist technique and Zen-like calligraphic style.

Price estimate:
HKD: 240,000 – 300,000
USD: 30,800 – 38,500

Auction Result:
HKD: --