Ink on paper

28 × 34.5 cm. 11 × 13 5/8 in.

Signed in French and Chinese, dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Alisan Fine Arts Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired directly by present Asian private collector from the above

Note: This work will be referenced in the archive of the Foundation Zao Wou-Ki (Information provided by Foundation Zao Wou-Ki)

Brilliant Brushwork and Creative Ink Spirit
Zao Wou-Ki's Charm of the Orient

Oriental ink spirit is an important element throughout Zao Wou-Ki's art creation. When he first traveled to Paris in the 1950s, he deliberately avoided ink painting because of its association with the Chinese tradition. Instead he used traditional elements such as oracle bone script and calligraphy to illustrate the charm of lines. In 1972, grief stricken by the passing of his wife Chan Mei-Kan, he stopped work on his oil paintings and returned to China. During his travel, he reconnected with the Chinese cultural heritage and gradually found the wisdom in the world of ink painting, leading him to a freer creative space. In the 1990s, he perfected his techniques and completed the masterpiece Untitled (1994) by incorporating the abstract concepts in modern time to the infinite spirit of ink painting.

Smooth Brush Strokes, Mind and Hand Connection
In the early years when he studied in Hangzhou School of Fine Arts, Zao Wou-Ki immersed himself in ink painting techniques. Since he practiced calligraphy with his grandfather, he admired the works of Mi Fu and Zhao Mengfu both of who were skillful in both ink painting and calligraphy. It was natural for him to “paint like a calligrapher” when he resumed ink painting practice, and infused it with the abstract consciousness of oil painting. The brush strokes became the incarnation of galloping thoughts by the artist, presenting the rhyme and spirit of Shanshui. Untitled has two main axes running through the center, which formulate Zao Wou-Ki's classic “mountain ridge” structure. The brushwork was carried out with a series of raise and pause techniques, bringing out a cursive calligraphy style between the lines. The blank space permeated into the undulating mountains like floating clouds, fluttering and changing, and the vigorous ink color also embodies the cohesive force, forming the spatial sense of “emptiness in reality”.

The piece builds upon the Shanshui's style, but progresses with better vision. The abstract rhythm breaks the singularity of the scene, and expands both in space and in consciousness, just like painting the mind in the forms of mountain and river. As the French poet Henri Michaux observed: “He paints the breath of clouds, and his mountain is the play of ink work. With the intangible comes the tangible, and there are infinite possibilities within the paper.” His work is an exquisite embodiment of the charm of the Orient.

Price estimate:
HKD: 120,000 – 180,000
USD: 15,500 – 23,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 259,600