Ink on paper laid down on canvas

78 x 95 cm.30 3/4 x 37 3/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and Pinyin；dated on the lower right
PROVENANCE Private Collection, Asia

Yang Jiecang
(b.1956-)
Having fully mastered traditional Chinese ink painting and calligraphy and thoroughly understood the history and theories of art through formal training, Yang Jiecang began to wriggle out of the established academic norms and the Socialist Realism that was still the order of the day so that he could really be free to enjoy art making. This was how he joined the ranks of reformers of traditional Chinese ink right from the infancy of his artistic career.
In 1989, he took part on invitation in the exhibition “Magicians of the Earth” at Centre Pompidou, France, with the most seminal work of his life: Myriad Ink Layers. The exhibit aroused a great sensation, immediately elevating the budding painter to become a Chinese artist celebrated around the world. This in turn led to the creation of the Myriad Ink Layers series in the following decade.

The present lot, Vast Square , was executed in the late 1990s and is a continuation of the Myriad Ink Layers series. Adopting the same mode of creation as the series, the work emphasizes process and temporality. The extraordinary creases in the work are beyond human control since they were formed naturally over time from layers upon layers of ink applied onto the rice paper. This repetitive labour-intensive process is infused with the artist’s understanding and reflection of the world around him. Each of the ink layer forged by time documents a unique experience and sentiment. The space reserved around the layered ink serves to augment the textural contrast between the paper and the ink and provides the painting with visual and compositional variety. Silent though it may be, the ink that has bloated and corrugated the paper recounts, in their subtle sheen, how time passes and grows old.

Price estimate:
HKD：180,000 - 220,000
USD：23,200 - 28,400

Auction Result:
HKD: --