PROVENANCE:
Galerie Latzer, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
Swiss private collection since 1968

THE SPLENDID SYNTHESIS OF THE ORIENTAL AND THE OCCIDENTAL

Composition No. 206 testifies to the tempestuous world of Chu’s abstract art through the portrayal of a sinuous amalgam of broad and fine brushstrokes, endowed with a poetic and metaphysical meaning that goes beyond physical form. The present lot invites the viewers into a world of dream, where a gulf of whirling wind and mist occupy the upper plane, the clashing and interconnectivity of the rhythmic lines that oscillated amidst the quivering spatial arrangement, further juxtaposed against the monochromatic shades of luminous carol red that gently hints at the dexterity of the a r t i s t ’s brushstrokes. It illustrates Chu’s mastery in comprehending the harmonic nuances of the natural world, the resulting work is saturated with energy, sensibil i ty, and spontaneity as the broad swaths and unrestrained calligraphy like lines gathered and intertwined in a proliferation and become a field of tumultuous action that captivates the vehement fervor and dynamic momentum of the natural world that has no end and no beginning. Composition No. 206 encompasses the mysterious realm between form and the formless, the temporal and the eternal, thereby inducing one’s imagination t o w o n d e r i n t h i s i n c a n d e s c e n t metamorphosis of Chu’s infinite universe that changes unceasingly.

In retrospect, Chu committed to the path of abstract painting after his inspirational encountered with works of the Russian expatriate artist Nicolas Staël in 1956. Chu identified the possibility of progressing his artistic vision through the using colors apparent in De Stalë’s works. In this regard, Chu excels at synthesizing his brush strokes that echo of Classical calligraphic reference with the beauty of his abstraction giving a loose rein to the naturalistic impulse of his the soul in conveying the mysterious and eternal qualities of nature. Incidentally, Chu had worked with gouaches and had instilled in his creations a nostalgic air of epochal characteristics derived from the oriental spirit through this occident medium brilliantly. For lack of Chinese xuan paper in Paris at the time, he would at times utilize soaking paper to paint instead. Crucially, Chu featured mainly gouaches in a second exhibition at the Legendre Gallery in 1962. Chu admired the Chinese landscapes paintings of the Ming and Qing dynasties and saw an abstract quality in works by Shih Tao and Chu Ta. Naturally, Chu’s works would manifest the spirit and essence of the traditional. Chu’s painting transpires a translucent vitality that extends beyond the realms of the visible world of nature. As Art historian Michael Sullivan remarks, "We must put conscious thought aside, allow sensibility and intuition to open the channels to the heart of it and lose ourselves here." In essence, the present lot is filed with movements, as the wild meandering lines filled the surface with a spirit of lively energy, spinning, leaping, trembling, stretching, with seldom a still moment. Nevertheless, the constant motion is a harmonious one, reflecting a deep poetic sense of contemplation, passion and love of Chu’s vivacious heart.

FAN KUAN HAS SAID THAT “LEARNING FROM NATURE IS BETTER THAN LEARNING FROM MAN, AND THE HUMAN HEART IS AN EVEN GREATER SOURCE OF LEARNING THAN NATURE.” WHAT HE MEANT WAS THAT IT IS THE PAINTER WHO IS IN CONTROL, AND THAT A CONCEPT OF ABSTRACTION ALREADY EXISTED IN HIS TIME. THE CHINESE PEOPLE JUST DIDN'T USE THE TERM ‘ABSTRACTION’, THAT'S ALL. THE ARTIST ABSORBS WHAT HE SEES IN NATURE AND REFINES IN HIS MIND, AND WHAT IS REVEALED ON CANVAS IS THE POWER OF THE ARTIST’S IMAGINATION, HIS SENSIBILITY, AND HIS INNER CHARACTER. THIS IS WHERE THE CONCEPTS BEHIND CHINESE PAINTING COME TOGETHER WITH THE IDEA OF ABSTRACTION.”
– CHU TEH-CHUN