Acrylic on canvas

127 x 90 cm. 50 x 35 3/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
1990, Chuang Che 1960–1990, Lung Men Art Gallery, Taipei, p.21
2016, Chuang Che Collage & Paintings 1962–2005, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai, p.51
2019, Chuang Che Collage & Paintings 1962–2018, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai, p.56-57
EXHIBITED
15 Sep – 10 Oct 1990, Chuang Che 1960 – 1990, Lung Men Art Gallery, Taipei
24 Oct 2010, Next Heritage – Opening Exhibition of Longmen Art Projects, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai
28 Sep – 30 Nov 2016, Chuang Che Collage & Paintings 1962-2005, Longmen Art Projects, Shanghai
25 May – 29 Nov 2019, Time, Space, People, Longmen Art Projects, Hong Kong

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Power of the Promordial Brush, Showcasing Rapid Creation
The Eastern Abstract Poetry of Chuang Che

“If we could return to primordial chaos, to that first shocking sight, to the beginning, then that is the 'truth' we wanted to convey.”
—— Chuang Che

Chuang Che was born into a family of scholars and as a young boy he was introduced to the calligraphy of the masters and taught both calligraphy and painting by his father, renowned calligrapher Chuan Yen, who was also deputy director of the National Palace Museum. If we accept that calligraphy represents his hidden artistic sentiment then abstract painting has been his artistic pursuit for more than 60 years. In 1954, Chuang attended the Department of Art at Taiwan Provincial Teachers' College and after graduating joined the “Fifth Moon Group.” In 1966, he traveled to Europe and the United States, an experience that helped to broaden his creative vision.

In 1973, Chuang settled in Ann Arbor in the US, from where he visited mountains and rivers, starting his life and creative work anew in the city where he “sought to release the nature in his mind through abstract painting based on landscape scenery.” The two works being auctioned on this occasion Early Snow (Lot 93) and Winding Exploration (Lot 94) are examples of the artistic peaks achieved during this period, their significance highlighted by being featuring in the 2016 Longmen Art Projects exhibition Chuang Che Collage & Paintings 1962-2005.

Braving Snow the Plum Trees Blossom, Movement of Color

The use of swirling ink colors to highlight scenes from the four seasons is one of the creative forms used by Chuang Che in which people take most delight. Early Snow depicts plum trees blossoming in the freezing snow. In the scene, white-velvet like snowflakes fall into a lake-blue scene with no sign of people, creating a crystal-like aesthetic. In this context, the bright red color in the lower part of the work is a winter plum blossom breaking through the soil, its lyrical graceful lines guiding the visual rhythm of the work, while the ingenious combination of color and form creates a confluence of moving visual splendor.

Free Flowing Brushwork, Lively Rhyme

It is a feature of Chuang Che's art that he uses freehand brushwork to depict natural scenes, using the momentum of the brush to guide the deconstruction of images. If we follow the composition of Winding Exploration, it is like encountering a sudden natural upheaval. Against the smoky dense white background, smudged and cracked brushstrokes overlap, almost as if the composition cascades directly from the artist whole, creating a horizontal spatial structure. Between vertical mountains, a pillar of water collides and circles, forming a vortex at the center, with water vapor everywhere, refracting strange changes in light and color. The dry-wet, thick and diluted ink disseminates a sense of smell and touch through the movement of the brush. Swirling before viewers' eyes we see a work that reflects the refinement of ink art but also embraces the intensity of acrylic colors and the bold expressiveness of lines.

Chuang Che uses clear abstract consciousness, rhythmic colors and images to craft and expand the freehand template of literati painting. His unbridled expression also reveals a style that combines Eastern and Western styles, as he ignores likeness in form in favor of pursuing spirit.

Price estimate:
HKD: 150,000 – 250,000
USD: 19,400 – 32,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 177,000