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拍品专文
"In the past few years, I've been able to follow my feelings and paint as I wished. There weren't any more obstacles at a technical level, so I could set to work and paint. In the large-scale canvases I had to wrestle with space——not just to fill it up, but also to make it come to life, to throw myself completely into it." ——Zao Wou-Ki
Zao Wou-Ki’s artistic maturity reached new heights in the 1960s; after a forward movement into Western modern art in the early 1950s and a backward movement to his Chinese heritage in the closing years of the decade, the artist found his position between China and France. He sought to purify his paintings of any narrative element to capture the sole feeling of wind, the smell of a season, or the memory of a far mountain, and he expressed only the impression onto the canvas. He started to explore nature and the universe, and his pursuit of a new form of abstraction in its extreme emotional interpretation of reality led to the “Hurricane” period.
Zao Wou-Ki’s masterpiece from his “Hurricane” period, 11.2.67, conjures up the force of a sweeping gale with vigorous brushwork. The broad, rapid brushstrokes intertwine like countless dragons spiraling upwards, dispersing in all directions the moment they reach their summit. This magnificent momentum reflects the artist’s creative passion and confidence at the zenith of his career. By the late 1950s, Zao had garnered great acclaim in the art world. After travelling with his good friend Pierre Soulages and Soulages’s wife through the United States, Japan, and other countries, Zao returned to Paris. During this period, Zao became deeply attuned to the spirit of Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting, which championed freedom, wildness, and dynamism—ideas that harmonised with his own artistic direction. It saw the dawning of his “Hurricane” period, a new pinnacle in Zao’s artistic career characterised by his synthesis of Chinese and Western influences, freedom, and power.
11.2.67 employs three main colour tones—dark gold, bright yellow, and deep black—creating an overlapping of colours through subtle gradations to evoke an infinitely extending spatial structure. At the same time, the work exemplifies Zao’s masterful command and integration of the concepts of traditional Chinese ink tones and Western oil painting techniques. As the Tang dynasty art historian Zhang Yanyuan writes in Famous Paintings through History, “ink has five colours”—“charred”, “rich”, “heavy”, “light”, and “clear”—referring to the pursuit of complex visual dimensions through subtle variations in ink. In 11.2.67, the translucent ochre base is juxtaposed with intersecting, solid colour lines, unveiling infinite visual dimensions through a minimalist colour palette, calling to mind the dynamic colours in traditional ink painting as they come to life on xuan paper. In addition, this work echoes a fundamental concept in Chinese calligraphy aesthetics that “calligraphy and painting share the same roots”. Through powerful brushwork, Zao imbues oil paint with the essence of calligraphic brushstrokes, showcasing the mastery of monochromatic colours and creative passion characteristic of his “Hurriane” period. Upon closer look at the composition, one can discern that the vertical format was, to some extent, inspired by the light streaming through the skylight of Zao’s studio on rue Jonquoy. After 1963, Zao moved to a new studio on rue Jonquoy in Paris, where the vast space allowed him to enjoy the expressive movements of grand brush stroke.
The robust brushwork, shifting colours, and boundless abstract realm in 11.2.67 encapsulate Zao’s abstract style during the “Hurricane” period and in the decades of artistic excellence that followed. As one of the most acclaimed Chinese modern artists, Zao received global recognition and attention. In 2023, The Way Is Infinite: Centennial Retrospective Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki at the China Academy of Art brought together works from global art institutions and private collections to travel back to Zao’s alma mater, presenting Zao's significant status in the Chinese and international art scene.
Zao Wou-Ki’s artistic maturity reached new heights in the 1960s; after a forward movement into Western modern art in the early 1950s and a backward movement to his Chinese heritage in the closing years of the decade, the artist found his position between China and France. He sought to purify his paintings of any narrative element to capture the sole feeling of wind, the smell of a season, or the memory of a far mountain, and he expressed only the impression onto the canvas. He started to explore nature and the universe, and his pursuit of a new form of abstraction in its extreme emotional interpretation of reality led to the “Hurricane” period.
Zao Wou-Ki’s masterpiece from his “Hurricane” period, 11.2.67, conjures up the force of a sweeping gale with vigorous brushwork. The broad, rapid brushstrokes intertwine like countless dragons spiraling upwards, dispersing in all directions the moment they reach their summit. This magnificent momentum reflects the artist’s creative passion and confidence at the zenith of his career. By the late 1950s, Zao had garnered great acclaim in the art world. After travelling with his good friend Pierre Soulages and Soulages’s wife through the United States, Japan, and other countries, Zao returned to Paris. During this period, Zao became deeply attuned to the spirit of Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting, which championed freedom, wildness, and dynamism—ideas that harmonised with his own artistic direction. It saw the dawning of his “Hurricane” period, a new pinnacle in Zao’s artistic career characterised by his synthesis of Chinese and Western influences, freedom, and power.
11.2.67 employs three main colour tones—dark gold, bright yellow, and deep black—creating an overlapping of colours through subtle gradations to evoke an infinitely extending spatial structure. At the same time, the work exemplifies Zao’s masterful command and integration of the concepts of traditional Chinese ink tones and Western oil painting techniques. As the Tang dynasty art historian Zhang Yanyuan writes in Famous Paintings through History, “ink has five colours”—“charred”, “rich”, “heavy”, “light”, and “clear”—referring to the pursuit of complex visual dimensions through subtle variations in ink. In 11.2.67, the translucent ochre base is juxtaposed with intersecting, solid colour lines, unveiling infinite visual dimensions through a minimalist colour palette, calling to mind the dynamic colours in traditional ink painting as they come to life on xuan paper. In addition, this work echoes a fundamental concept in Chinese calligraphy aesthetics that “calligraphy and painting share the same roots”. Through powerful brushwork, Zao imbues oil paint with the essence of calligraphic brushstrokes, showcasing the mastery of monochromatic colours and creative passion characteristic of his “Hurriane” period. Upon closer look at the composition, one can discern that the vertical format was, to some extent, inspired by the light streaming through the skylight of Zao’s studio on rue Jonquoy. After 1963, Zao moved to a new studio on rue Jonquoy in Paris, where the vast space allowed him to enjoy the expressive movements of grand brush stroke.
The robust brushwork, shifting colours, and boundless abstract realm in 11.2.67 encapsulate Zao’s abstract style during the “Hurricane” period and in the decades of artistic excellence that followed. As one of the most acclaimed Chinese modern artists, Zao received global recognition and attention. In 2023, The Way Is Infinite: Centennial Retrospective Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki at the China Academy of Art brought together works from global art institutions and private collections to travel back to Zao’s alma mater, presenting Zao's significant status in the Chinese and international art scene.