L'hiver poétique

1988

Oil on canvas

80 x 100 cm

Signed lower right CHU TEH-CHUN in Chinese and English
Titled "L'hiver poétique" in French on the reverse, signed on the reverse CHU TEH-CHUN in Chinese and English, dated 1988

Estimate
12,000,000 - 20,000,000
3,076,900 - 5,128,200
413,800 - 689,700
Sold Price
14,040,000
3,603,696
461,766

Ravenel Spring Auction 2008

062

CHU Teh-chun (Chinese-French, 1920 - 2014)

L'hiver poétique


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EXHIBITED:


Art Singapore 2006, Singapore, September 28-October 2, 2006

Chu Teh-chun, The Ueno Royal Museum, Nippon Art Association, Tokyo, June 23-July 10, 2007

ILLUSTRATED:


Chu Teh-chun, Thin Chang Corporation, Taipei, 2007, color illustrated, p. 198

This painting is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.


Catalogue Note:

Many Western critics described Chu Teh- chun's works as "poetic and emotional abstract paintings."In addition, Li Lin-tsan, an Asian art historian, interpreted Chu Teh-chun's art as "titled abstract paintings." Generally, everyone considers music as the most abstract art and the majority of Western music contains titled music, such as Beethoven's Symphony. Words do not conine listeners' imagination but serve as guiding rods in appreciation. Chu Teh-chun is one of the few artists, who would comment on the back of the paintings in Chinese or in French. The painter titles his work with his artistic feelings and does not impede audience from free interpretation. Hence, the later works of his abstract paintings all hold a title. Chu Teh-chun's poetic and graceful themes convey his aestheticism and his inner emotion. Both his Chinese cultural origin and life reflection living in the West low into his paintings and feature the rapport unconsciously.

Someone once asked Chu if titles determine his creation theme and inspiration. Chu Teh- chun answered, "Inspiration often derives from nature's awakening or from feelings at work. If you sit and wait for it, the inspiration may never come. Painters should continue to paint, contemplate and remember.... While in the process of painting, a kind of feelings emerges and blends into painting, and I think this is inspiration. The more diligently you work, the richer the feelings become. Then you use brushes to express this feeling. Hence painting is inspired by feelings, and this kind of feeling is like émotion in French. I seldom begin painting with having the title first since I will then be conined. Most of my works are painted first and titles are given later" (Extracts from Cheng Yeuk-lam's "Chu Teh-chun: A Man Searching of Beauty," Wenhuipo, 2005).

"L'hiver poétique", named by the artist himself in French, details the falling of snow lakes. The series of winter sun on white snow scenery paintings since 1985 derived from the inspiration of nature. His take on the view of the snow-covered Alps inspired this new series of paintings. While Chu viewed the mystique clouds and snow falling, the images of many Tang poems emerged in his mind and accordingly created this series of popular works. Chu Teh-chun is an ardent admirer of Chinese poetry, especially the work of Li Bo, Tu Fu, Li Qing-zhao, Lou Yeou. In addition, Chu is a great fan of Beethoven and Mozart. Poetry and music tend to inspire Chu Teh-chun's emotional impulses. The beauty of art can transcend time and integrate West with East, and Chu Teh-chun reveals the beauty of this great rapport. He once said, "The blending of East into West isn't the combination of East and West, but the integration of philosophies. I was educated in China, so my paintings convey abstract art of Chinese poetry with leaning to the artistic mentality of Tang and Song." Chu Ko, the art curator in Taiwan, commented, "Chu Teh-chun is a master who used oil painting to depict the Chinese spirit of water brush paintings.... Chu Teh-chun employs oil painting to display the Chinese spirit of water brush paintings and the strokes and lines with variation of darkness and depth and the rendering effect in the space contain the joy of brush ink that amazes everyone" (Chu Ko, 'Cloud Emerge and Sunset Beauty: Attempt to Examine Chu Teh-chun's art signiicance', Chu Teh-chun Painting Collection, Jingling Arts Center, Taipei, August 1989, p. 9, p. 11). J.-F. Chabrun, French art critic remarked Chu as "a Song painter of the twentieth century," indicating that his work is the integration of poetry and painting.

"L'hiver poétique", imbued with poetic lair with aesthetic image, is like playing an impromptu musical episode. With its free style brush strokes, pieces and dots being dimly visible, occupying the center of canvas like sudden fall of night, with sudden splash of snow like falling pearls, sleek lines falling and forming into nets, the grey curtain falling with stars, it all nestles into a silverish grey world. The dimming color of light yellow adds warmth to the cold snow scenery to some extent. Wu Guanzhong believed that Chu Teh- chun's snow scenery relected his inner life experience and wrote, "Painting according to his whims and desires, the painter painted diversified, varied, surreal, dreams, happiness and anger looming..., this all equates to the luck and sorrow in one's life experience, a gauze that breaks through the innermost feelings, showcasing path and marks in the author's long artistic life" (Please refer to Zhu Wei, Chu Teh-chun Biography, HoKe Art, 1st Aug 2003, 1st Edition, pp. 225-226.)

Chu Teh-chun had created more than ten paintings on the topic of winter snow scenery during 1985 to 1989 that have won admiration from critics and art amateurs. The exhibitions are often held all over the world, including exhibition at National Museum of History in 1987, exhibition at Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Liège in 1988, and grand retrospective exhibition at Taiwan Museum of Art in 1989 to reassure his academic signiicance. Works during this period are the most important milestones of his art career by far.


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