Oil on canvas

140×120 cm. 55 1/8×47 1/4 in.

Titled, signed and dated in Chinese on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by original collector from the artist
26 May 2019, Christie's Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 428
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

Ethereal Haze; Extensive and Subtitle
The Blossoming Garden of Liang Yuanwei

"I have always felt that truly great work should be silent like scenery. One experiences its deep meaning when one's mind moves with it."
—Liang Yuanwei

Chinese contemporary artist Liang Yuanwei is a well acclaimed artist who was born in the 70's. Known for her kaleidoscopic colour palette, paired with rich and engaging subjects, Liang's esteemed reputation has long been recognized as that of a renowned female artist. In 2011, the artist represented China at the 54th International Art Exhibition La Biennale Di Venezia. Following, she also held important solo exhibitions, such as her solo exhibition organized by K11 Art Foundation in Venice in 2017, in conjunction with the 57th Venice Biennale. Since then, the works of Liang Yuanwei has been collected by major institutions and museums, including Hong Kong M+, K11 Art Foundation, France DSL Collection, Shanghai Fosun Group, Long Museum, and Nanjing Sifang Museum of Contemporary Art. In particular, Liang's iconic artwork Piece of Life 13 was documented and catalogued in 2019 Phaidon publishing's catalog Great Women Artists. Immersing in Liang's impressive oeuvre, the captivating Piece of Life series stands as a seminal chapter in her artistic odyssey. The rich textured impasto signified the artist's discovery and experimentation with her artistic expression. Our upcoming auction features a truly unique work, titled Piece of Life. Completed in 2007 as part of the series Piece of Life, the warm hues of the sunset gently cascade across the canvas, evoking the naturalistic glow of nature at dusk. With a foundation of radiant pinks, oranges, and delicate reds, the canvas positively beams with a magnetic, heavily-saturated glow.

Liang Yuanwei's intricate application of fabric and textile designs in paintings not only defines her style, but also recalls ancient Chinese techniques that has traces of Pattern and Decoration movement in the United States. In 2004, Liang graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and begun her research and experimentation on textures and fabrics of the home, studying its characteristics of ancient and modern silk fabrics. Liang's extensive study of Western art history allowed her to draw inspiration from the masters, discovering the ready-made innovations of Jasper Johns, the painted readymade techniques of German artist Sigmar Polke, and the bold colour expressionism of Mark Rothko. Synthesizing these diverse influences, Liang embarked on the development of her acclaimed Piece of Life series. Since 2006, she seamlessly blends the techniques of Renaissance wet mural painting with the refined brushwork of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Employing repetitive fabric imagery as her subjects, Liang imbued these patterns with new meaning, embarking on an endless artistic journey.

Imagine Flowers Filling the Radiant Dawn

Gazing at Piece of Life from afar, its majestic hues transport the viewer to the evocative words of Tang dynasty poet Han Wo: "When light from sunset enters the water, the water reflects a moment of red." In this work, the upper and lower sections radiate with vibrant pink-orange tones, while the central area glows with a darker red-pink hues. This mirrored structure at the polar ends evokes the essence of a reflected image. The striking red-pink tones harmoniously blends the luster of brocade, the glimmer of neon, and the afterglow of the setting sun. In the foreground, a multitude of delicate flowers appear to be scattered across the canvas like a gentle rain. The artist first etched the flower shapes with brushstrokes onto the thick paint layer, then filled in the negative spaces with colour, revealing underlying hues of sky blue and deep blue in the flower petals and leaves. The intricate brushwork on the petals and foliage echoes the spirit of Yuan dynasty literati painting. Despite the artist's intention to repeatedly depict the same floral motif, each individual flower in the painting possesses its own unique characteristics, unfurling in distinct directions and accumulating a sense of individuality. Within this subtlety, a vast, vibrant world of flowers is constructed.

Magnificent Spiritual Power

Liang's unique and labor-intensive technique shares commonality with Wang Guangle's esteemed Terrazzo series, as well as Italian artist Eudolf Stingel's captivating Wallpaper series. In Liang's creative process, she effortlessly embodies the dual qualities of the figurative and the abstract, the classical and the contemporary, the decorative and the artistic, the vast and the subtle. Compared to other artists who draw upon an ordinary flower motif, Liang's distinguishing factor draws upon the history of Eastern women in their experience of fabric and textile sewing, and instill "floral" as her primary symbolic motif. She has coalesced these petite blooms into a majestic, cascading force, breaking away from the traditional singular flower close-up to imbue the paintings with a profound spiritual core and captivating visual tension.

The Beauty of Rationality

"In my own creative practice I imitate the world, thereby understanding the world, in order to create the world."
—Liang Yuanwei

Liang Yuanwei firmly believes that beauty is not found solely in the final result, but is equally manifested in the creative process. While Piece of Life emits romantic and dreamlike quality, the artwork required meticulous detail, unwavering accuracy, and perseverance, akin to textile craftsmanship. Liang recalls dividing the painting surface into over twenty vibrant colour bands, each approximately five centimeters in height, which she then laboriously pushes and blends from top to bottom to achieve a mesmerizing rainbow-like effect. Within each band, she first applies a thick base layer of paint, before "cutting" into the still-wet pigment with her brush, precisely shaping the decorative elements one by one. The overlapping floral motifs are embedded into the surface like intricate seal engravings, creating a captivating sense of relief.

Due to this painstaking mode of creation, Liang must confront the incomplete pattern and the exposed canvas beneath at every stage. It takes an average of eight hours to complete each row of flowers and colour bands, with the entire process requiring up to a full month to reach completion. During this strenuous journey, the slightest misstep is enough to undo her previous work. Thus, each cluster of flower and each luminous section in the painting represents the artist's "rational implementation of beauty," where every part is conceived as a distinct image. The inner regions of the canvas present an atmosphere similar to a thousand-petaled poetic paradise, encompassing the boundless vastness of heaven and earth in exquisite detail.

Price estimate:
HKD 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
USD 128,200 – 192,300

Auction Result:
HKD: -