Oil on canvas

114×146 cm. 44 7/8×57 1/2 in.

LITERATURE
2010, Fragrance of the Mind: A Retrospective of Lalan's Work , Macau Museum of Art, Macau, p.29
EXHIBITED
6 Mar – 30 May 2010, Fragrance of the Mind: A Retrospective of Lalan's Work , Macau Museum of Art, Macau

PROVENANCE
Estate of the artist
Private Collection, Asia
4 Dec 2019, Sotheby's Paris Autumn Auction, Lot 18
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the aboveDancing with Poetry

Dancing with Poetry
Presenting an Early Signature Piece by Lalan

"In the midst of these wild and fascinating searchings in a world which has been brought alive by science, I like to find myself in front of a painting by Lalan. I forget everything else and let myself go towards this poetry of yesterday, of today and, I hope of tomorrow."
—René Drouin, French art critic

Lalan played a distinctive role in the development of 20th-century abstract art, observing the major artistic trends of her time. After World War II, artists worldwide gathered in Paris, which was then the heart of the global art scene. In 1948, Lalan and Zao Wou-Ki arrived in the Montparnasse district of Paris during the peak of the "Lyrical Abstraction" movement. There, the couple quickly became friends with artists Pierre Soulages, Georges Mathieu, and Sam Francis. Lalan started her painting career in 1957, building on her background as a modern dancer and electronic music composer. Following her separation from Zao Wou-Ki, she stated that she "couldn't live without painting." Today, her artworks are held in renowned collections including the French Ministry of Culture, the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, and the Shanghai Art Museum.

Poetic Painting with Calligraphic Essence

"My early works were filled with lyricism; they are gestural abstractions, akin to writing."
—Lalan

In the 1960s, Lalan stepped out from being known primarily as Zao Wou-Ki's muse and established herself as an independent artist. She held her first solo exhibition at the Galerie Creuze in Paris in 1960. The following year, she introduced the idea of "Synthetic Art," (L'art synthèse) which combined painting, calligraphy, dance, and music. Her early works often feature dark colours. Extended Figure, created over five years from 1963 to 1967 and now up for sale, is a key representation of this early phase in Lalan's artistic career.

Endless Variations: Dance within Brushstrokes

The artwork features a palette of black and coffee tones, creating a mysterious and earthy atmosphere that invites deep meditation. At first glance, the piece might seem unclear or foggy. However, upon closer inspection, black shapes that resemble totems create a dynamic impression, suggesting a space that is alive and in motion. Thin spirals of black smoke in the painting elegantly twist upwards, resembling flames dancing in the air. Quick and smooth strokes that resemble calligraphy appear throughout, adding a sense of movement that echoes the natural beauty of nature.

Upon her arrival in Paris, Lalan was deeply inspired by Martha Graham, the mother of modern dance, whose expressive movements captivated her. In China, dance and brushstrokes had long been intertwined in the traditional "wild cursive" calligraphy style, pioneered by Tang dynasty calligrapher Zhang Xu, who discovered the "endless variations" after a time of drunken creation. Lalan's Extended Figure similarly incorporates this dynamic movement, capturing the interplay of tension and energy, and seamlessly blends the concepts of dance and brushstrokes.

Dynamic Flux: The Contrast of Stillness and Motion

Extended Figure draws on the traditional Chinese composition of painting and calligraphy, reminiscent of Northern Song dynasty master Ma Yuan's Fishing Alone on a Cold River.

In that painting, an old man fishes by himself in a boat, with light ink strokes showing the water's ripples, capturing a feeling of quiet solitude. Lalan uses textured oil paints and abstract lines to create a modern style that connects with the deep cultural traditions of Eastern scholars. In one of Zao Wou-Ki's last large oil paintings in 2004, Le vent pousse la mer, he also used a similar style, blending the realms of heaven and earth in a vague, unrestricted space. Lalan's depiction reduces the sense of "loneliness," using black lines that spread like heartfelt inscriptions across a wide-open landscape. The painting balances contrasts like density and openness, heaviness and lightness, depth and shallowness, as well as movement and stillness, to create a dynamic tension.

Price estimate:
HKD 1,200,000 – 1,800,000
USD 153,800 – 230,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,560,000