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2025 Spring Auctions > Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art

39
Yang Chihung (b.1947)
Leisurely and Carefree(Painted in 2013 - 2014)

Oil on canvas

91×179.5 cm. 35 7/8×70 5/8 in.

Signed and titled in English, and dated on the reverse
EXHIBITED
8 -11 Nov 2013, Art Taipei 2013, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei

PROVENANCE
J. P. Art Center, Kaohsiung
Important Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist issued by J. P. Art Center, Kaohsiung

A Spectacular Sight of the Earth
The Expansive Vision of Yang Chihung

Yang Chihung is a leading figure in contemporary Chinese abstractart. During the 40 years that he resided in the United States, he madea name for himself in New York with his paintings. In 1984, he became the first Chinese artist to receive a fellowship from the MOMA P.S.1 National Studio Program. In 1989, he was rewarded as the Outstanding Asian-American Artist by the governor of the state of New York. His works have entered the collection of the National Gallery Singapore, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the City University of New York, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Exchange Square in Hong Kong, indicating his solid status in the art world.

In 2010, he embarked on an ambitious period of Oriental Poetry, combining Eastern calligraphic sensibilities and techniques with Western abstract expression, resulting in his most popular series. A representative work from this period is Leisurely and Carefree, completed between 2013 and 2014.

The Wonderful Realm of Storm and Wind
Entering the new millennium, as a result of his own illness and the death of his mother, Yang Chihung turned and sought solace in his inner world. He put great energy into exploring with a kind of ink painting akin to stream of consciousness. In Leisurely and Carefree, his calligraphic brushstrokes unfurl freely on the canvas, following his heart’s will.

Capturing the intangible forces of nature is an eternal quest in Chinese literati painting. Like Shi Tao’s winds and bamboos, the soaring ink tones under Yang Chihung’s brush convey the free and unrestrained nature of the wind. The composition of the work displays a dichotomy in empty space, reminiscent of the interlocking double-spiral diagram of Taoist Tai Chi. Horizontal and verticle, diverging or merging, these lines and strokes take spiralling forms in the artist’s mind like the cycle of life in the world of nature.

Unlike traditional ink painting, Yang Chihung integrates his racing ink streaks with the properties and texture of oil paint, creating a colourful scene of richness and splendour. On the left side of the painting, dark and lush sapphire blue represents nobility and elegance, like a pool of mysterious ocean, whereas the golden orange colours laid out over large areas of the canvas are like sunlight warming people’s hearts.The collision between warmth and coolness is a sincere tribute to nature . Employing horizontal sweeping brushstrokes that create a laterally extending motion, the painting evokes an abstract and dynamic texture, just like the dreamy landscapes that Gerhard Richter traced out with his spatula.

Price estimate:
HKD 220,000 - 320,000
USD 28,200 - 41,000

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