PRINTCatalogue Note:
“I dare say my painting is a romantic one. It brings me the greatest happiness.
The most powerful happiness is painting itself.” - Zao Wou-Ki
Completed in 1962, Zao's painting titled 5.11.62 was once held by the Laing Galleries in Toronto, the leading art gallery of Canada that once made significant contributions to post-war abstract art. The gallery closed down following the death of its director. Art dealer G. Blair Laing was the person-in charge then. Well-known throughout the art sphere in twentieth-century Canada, Blair also introduced the works of British sculptor Henry Moore to the country at one time. In 1989, he donated a priced collection to the National Gallery of Canada, which is a deed worthy of praise in the art sphere. From the mid twentieth century, Laing began flying to France frequently to select works for his art collectors. He visited Canadian painters who came all the way to study art in Paris, and acted as agent for the Canadian members of Ecole de Paris Alfred Pellan (1906-1988), PaulÉmile Borduas (1905-1960) and Jean- Paul Riopelle (1923-2002). As abstract painter Riopelle turns out to be a close friend of Zao Wou-ki's for more than fifty years, his death a few years ago was quite an emotional experience for Zao, who especially created a triplicate, yellow-green-toned oil painting in memory of his friend. Furthermore, the Laing Galleries often displayed works of Canadian painter William Ronald (1926- 1998) and Borduas, and a partnership with Kootz Gallery of New York was established for joint exhibitions from the 1950s. On the recommendation of Pierre Soulages, Zao began to hold exhibitions at Kootz in 1957, becoming very closely connected to the gallery. Another of Zao's paintings auctioned at the exhibition was a 1963 work titled 19.7.63, the holding of which can be traced back to Kootz Gallery in New York. All artists and dealers are important names in abstract art of the post-war era. Their fortunate meeting in the same events has written an important page in the history of post-war abstract art in the twentieth century.
Moving to Paris from Shanghai in 1948, Zao's works quickly gained recognition in the Paris art circles. Transformation from concrete art to abstract paintings accelerated his fame in Europe . Eve n America, which did not readily accept the European abstract style, gradually began to pay attention to Zao's art from the 1950s. Compared to the US , Canada accepted art from Paris more readily since it has a French-speaking Province. In 1969, Zao held his second retrospective show in Muséed 'Art Contemporain, Montreal and Musée du Québec. His popularity in America was about average then. It was through the introduction of the aforementioned Canadian artists that Laing came to know about the Chinese painter and directly bought his work titled 5.11.62. Zao had connections with Galerie de France in Paris and Kootz Gallery in New York, and Laing must have come to select works for his gallery. Such purchases are often heard of from among international art dealers. The painting was later resold to a private collector in Canada. It remained in Canada for more than four decades and did not reappear in front of the public until this year.
Full of creativity, Zao Wou-ki may be said to have made rapid advances in his career in the 1960s, when he was invited to participate in one international exhibition after another. His artistic creation showed the arousal of his innermost feelings as a result of his finding love once again. He was at his prime in terms of age. In his own words, he could express himself freely and recognize the vitality possessed by the colors themselves. One can forget about the rules, as responding to the needs of one's inner world was all that mattered. Remembering his passion for creation at that time, Zao said, I dare say my painting is a romantic one. It brings me the greatest happiness. The most powerful happiness is painting itself. (J'avoue, sans complexe, avoir fait une peinture romantique qui m'apporta de très grandes joies et la plus forte, celle de peindre de la peinture.) (Zao Wou-ki & Françoise Marquet, Autoportrait, Fayard, Paris, 1986, pp. 121)
According to art critic Jean Leymarie in Catalogue Raisonné, the first edition in French, Zao continuously developed his art in the 1960s, employing methods of contractor harmony and of ten presenting the rhythm of the picture, its texture and color modulation. There is a preference for monochromatic colors which are occasionally dark and rich; the uneven brown shade shows black scrape marks which are opalescent and light at times. An example is the silver gray brume. Other examples include snow and sapphire , mousse and rubious sumptuous accords (Jean Leymarie, Zao Wouki, edition Cercled' art, Paris, 1978, 1986, p. 40). What Leymarie refers to is the rich variation in shade and the varied texture. As Zao was meticulously perceptive and full of emotions, and because his paintings originate from his feelings about life, his emotional fluctuation is naturally revealed in his paintings, which are also his harbor of refuge in times of distress. Zao once said that his painting was his diary and his life. Art historians consider his works as sentimental abstract paintings. Like poetry, they have a perceptual existence yet they are not abstruse or pedantic.
The imposing and vivid 5.11.62 shows the seascape in a horizontal frame, which is the most typical form employed by the artist in the 1960s. The painting is divided into three parallel sections. The near ocher top and bottom portions are in harmony with the bronze-colored space, one being static and the other dynamic. The middle section is bright yellow and green, with light emerging from the center of the picture. Black lines shuttle in between like shadows left behind by the rapid movement, forming a pulling and pushing force in the actual situation. Zao's perfect use of space and light source, as well as his high spirits, can be observed in 5.11.62. As he puts it in his autobiography, The large canvas means I have to battle with space. Not only do I have to fill it, I must give it life and throw myself into it completely. I want to show ovement, a lingering circuit, or the whipping movement of wind and lightning. I want to make the canvas come alive through contrast and the action of multiple layers of similar colors. I want to find a center for the radiation of light. (Les grandes surfaces me demandaient de me batter avec l'espace; je devais impérativement remplir cette surface, la faire vivre et me donner à elle. Je cherchais à exprimer le movement, sa lenteur lancinante ou sa fulgurance, je voulais faire vibrer la surface de la toile grâce aux contrastes ou aux multiples frémissements d'une même couleur. Je cherchais un centre qui irradie.) (Autoportrait of Zao Wou-ki)
In 5.11.62, the artist pours out his feelings and aspirations in life. The sentiments expressed in the painting reverberate with energy and are full of vigor. Rhythmic movements such as the wind and waves in nature give one a musical experience. In the dialogue of one- time poet Wai - lim Yip, Zao once pointed out the similarity between painting and music, which must cease and be still in order to become music, and not consist of incessant sounds. Having learned music for six years, Zao is especially careful with light source, space and the abstract nature of music, linking them together in an ingenious manner. Taiwanese art critic Tu Jo-chou once commended, Chinese space and Western space are one of the noteworthy artistic achievements of Zao Wou-ki. He constantly integrates the potentials of the two great cultures, using their modern expressions and vocabulary not only to attain the spiritual journey but to create a whole new visual world as well.
The most powerful happiness is painting itself.” - Zao Wou-Ki
Completed in 1962, Zao's painting titled 5.11.62 was once held by the Laing Galleries in Toronto, the leading art gallery of Canada that once made significant contributions to post-war abstract art. The gallery closed down following the death of its director. Art dealer G. Blair Laing was the person-in charge then. Well-known throughout the art sphere in twentieth-century Canada, Blair also introduced the works of British sculptor Henry Moore to the country at one time. In 1989, he donated a priced collection to the National Gallery of Canada, which is a deed worthy of praise in the art sphere. From the mid twentieth century, Laing began flying to France frequently to select works for his art collectors. He visited Canadian painters who came all the way to study art in Paris, and acted as agent for the Canadian members of Ecole de Paris Alfred Pellan (1906-1988), PaulÉmile Borduas (1905-1960) and Jean- Paul Riopelle (1923-2002). As abstract painter Riopelle turns out to be a close friend of Zao Wou-ki's for more than fifty years, his death a few years ago was quite an emotional experience for Zao, who especially created a triplicate, yellow-green-toned oil painting in memory of his friend. Furthermore, the Laing Galleries often displayed works of Canadian painter William Ronald (1926- 1998) and Borduas, and a partnership with Kootz Gallery of New York was established for joint exhibitions from the 1950s. On the recommendation of Pierre Soulages, Zao began to hold exhibitions at Kootz in 1957, becoming very closely connected to the gallery. Another of Zao's paintings auctioned at the exhibition was a 1963 work titled 19.7.63, the holding of which can be traced back to Kootz Gallery in New York. All artists and dealers are important names in abstract art of the post-war era. Their fortunate meeting in the same events has written an important page in the history of post-war abstract art in the twentieth century.
Moving to Paris from Shanghai in 1948, Zao's works quickly gained recognition in the Paris art circles. Transformation from concrete art to abstract paintings accelerated his fame in Europe . Eve n America, which did not readily accept the European abstract style, gradually began to pay attention to Zao's art from the 1950s. Compared to the US , Canada accepted art from Paris more readily since it has a French-speaking Province. In 1969, Zao held his second retrospective show in Muséed 'Art Contemporain, Montreal and Musée du Québec. His popularity in America was about average then. It was through the introduction of the aforementioned Canadian artists that Laing came to know about the Chinese painter and directly bought his work titled 5.11.62. Zao had connections with Galerie de France in Paris and Kootz Gallery in New York, and Laing must have come to select works for his gallery. Such purchases are often heard of from among international art dealers. The painting was later resold to a private collector in Canada. It remained in Canada for more than four decades and did not reappear in front of the public until this year.
Full of creativity, Zao Wou-ki may be said to have made rapid advances in his career in the 1960s, when he was invited to participate in one international exhibition after another. His artistic creation showed the arousal of his innermost feelings as a result of his finding love once again. He was at his prime in terms of age. In his own words, he could express himself freely and recognize the vitality possessed by the colors themselves. One can forget about the rules, as responding to the needs of one's inner world was all that mattered. Remembering his passion for creation at that time, Zao said, I dare say my painting is a romantic one. It brings me the greatest happiness. The most powerful happiness is painting itself. (J'avoue, sans complexe, avoir fait une peinture romantique qui m'apporta de très grandes joies et la plus forte, celle de peindre de la peinture.) (Zao Wou-ki & Françoise Marquet, Autoportrait, Fayard, Paris, 1986, pp. 121)
According to art critic Jean Leymarie in Catalogue Raisonné, the first edition in French, Zao continuously developed his art in the 1960s, employing methods of contractor harmony and of ten presenting the rhythm of the picture, its texture and color modulation. There is a preference for monochromatic colors which are occasionally dark and rich; the uneven brown shade shows black scrape marks which are opalescent and light at times. An example is the silver gray brume. Other examples include snow and sapphire , mousse and rubious sumptuous accords (Jean Leymarie, Zao Wouki, edition Cercled' art, Paris, 1978, 1986, p. 40). What Leymarie refers to is the rich variation in shade and the varied texture. As Zao was meticulously perceptive and full of emotions, and because his paintings originate from his feelings about life, his emotional fluctuation is naturally revealed in his paintings, which are also his harbor of refuge in times of distress. Zao once said that his painting was his diary and his life. Art historians consider his works as sentimental abstract paintings. Like poetry, they have a perceptual existence yet they are not abstruse or pedantic.
The imposing and vivid 5.11.62 shows the seascape in a horizontal frame, which is the most typical form employed by the artist in the 1960s. The painting is divided into three parallel sections. The near ocher top and bottom portions are in harmony with the bronze-colored space, one being static and the other dynamic. The middle section is bright yellow and green, with light emerging from the center of the picture. Black lines shuttle in between like shadows left behind by the rapid movement, forming a pulling and pushing force in the actual situation. Zao's perfect use of space and light source, as well as his high spirits, can be observed in 5.11.62. As he puts it in his autobiography, The large canvas means I have to battle with space. Not only do I have to fill it, I must give it life and throw myself into it completely. I want to show ovement, a lingering circuit, or the whipping movement of wind and lightning. I want to make the canvas come alive through contrast and the action of multiple layers of similar colors. I want to find a center for the radiation of light. (Les grandes surfaces me demandaient de me batter avec l'espace; je devais impérativement remplir cette surface, la faire vivre et me donner à elle. Je cherchais à exprimer le movement, sa lenteur lancinante ou sa fulgurance, je voulais faire vibrer la surface de la toile grâce aux contrastes ou aux multiples frémissements d'une même couleur. Je cherchais un centre qui irradie.) (Autoportrait of Zao Wou-ki)
In 5.11.62, the artist pours out his feelings and aspirations in life. The sentiments expressed in the painting reverberate with energy and are full of vigor. Rhythmic movements such as the wind and waves in nature give one a musical experience. In the dialogue of one- time poet Wai - lim Yip, Zao once pointed out the similarity between painting and music, which must cease and be still in order to become music, and not consist of incessant sounds. Having learned music for six years, Zao is especially careful with light source, space and the abstract nature of music, linking them together in an ingenious manner. Taiwanese art critic Tu Jo-chou once commended, Chinese space and Western space are one of the noteworthy artistic achievements of Zao Wou-ki. He constantly integrates the potentials of the two great cultures, using their modern expressions and vocabulary not only to attain the spiritual journey but to create a whole new visual world as well.