Mixed media on paper

59 × 75 cm. 231/4 × 291/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom center

LITERATURE
2010, One is Everything. Homeage to the Master: 50 Years of Work by Richard Lin, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art Publishing, Kaohsiung, p.223
EXHIBITED
15 May – 26 Sep 2010, One is everything. Homeage to the Master: 50 Years of Work by Richard Lin, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art, Kaohsiung

PROVENANCE
6 Oct 2015, China Guardian Hong Kong Autumn Auction, Lot 26
Private Collection, Asia

Depth in emptiness
The Spanish surrealist painter of the 20th Century, Joan Miró, once said admiringly of Richard Lin’s work, “In the world of white, Lin is without equal.”
Richard Lin was born into an eminent Taiwanese family in Wufeng District, Taichung. In 1952, just as the Abstract Expressionism movement took off in New York and began to spread across the globe, he moved to London, where he majored in Architecture during the day and studied art by night. Inspired by this bourgeoning movement, Richard Lin distilled the essence of Daoism in order to create a new and distinctively Chinese artistic style, the likes of which the West had never seen. Much in the same way that traditional Chinese painting emphasizes a balance between “emptiness” (areas where the ink is diluted or applied lightly) and “fullness” (bolder, opaque brushstrokes), Lin’s style explores the wealth of possible meaning in pure white spaces. This “emptiness” in turn reflects the Taoist notion of non-action.
Pursuing Beauty in Extreme Minimalism
Following his studies, Richard Lin became a teacher at the Royal College of Art in London. Not long after, he received an Honorable Mention from the Institute of Contemporary Arts as well as First Prize at the National Open Art Competition. In 1964, he was invited to participate in the 3rd DOCUMENTA exhibition in Kassel, Germany, which skyrocketed him to international fame. His works have been collected by a number of renowned institutions across the globe, including the Tate Modern and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. In 1985, Richard Lin made history when his Painting Relief Diptych became the first work of modern art to be purchased by the Taipei Palace Museum as well as the only work purchased by the palace while the artist in question was still alive.
Far from becoming complacent, Lin firmly resolved to never paint again, stating that “painting was dead”. He believed that he already exhausted the meaning in painting white spaces and needed to find new media and techniques. He therefore turned his attention to mixed media, sculptures, and installations. However, regardless of the medium he chose, he never strayed from the artistic principle of depth in emptiness. The work for auction, Untitled II, is a good example. Here, in typical fashion, Lin abandons the pursuit of a particular theme or image, instead focusing on the power of the creative process. On a large white background, he applies thin strips of metallic black and red cardboard leading into the center from the top left and bottom corners, creating a pleasant visual balance. The viewer’s gaze is drawn from the black at the top to the line of red at the bottom, somewhat resembling a sunset, which then leads to the parallel tinfoil line in the center before becoming lost in the boundless “world of white”. This painting powerfully evokes the philosophical notions that “meaning [is] beyond words” or “one is everything, and everything is one”.

Price estimate:
HKD: 380,000 - 580,000
USD: 48,700 - 74,000

Auction Result:
HKD: 590,000