PROVENANCE:
Sale of Sotheby’s, New York, March 17, 2008
Private collection, Asia

The ambience resonating from the central beaded man in Wandering Man has a precise depiction of facial features of an almond–shaped eyes, prominent cheekbones, and nose reminiscent of the somewhat expressionist portraits prevalent during the Tang Dynasty in China. Chiu Ya-tsai’s artistic approach have an indefinable quality to them that resembles both Chinese and Western styles. The artist’s paintings are also characterized by effective use of the traditional Chinese baimiao monochromatic brush-line technique, in which simple lines delineate the facial features, bringing across the spiritual essence of the person portrayed without being constrained by formal conventions or overburdened with excessive detail. Chiu Ya-tsai’s artistic talent derived in no small part from his own sorrows; he once commented that all of the figures depicted in his paintings had something of himself about them: the struggling artist, the rootless wanderer, or the unsuccessful businessman. These lonely images provide the viewer with clues as to the artist’s own inner world. A lover of literature who also wrote as a form of self-expression, Chiu was able to condense his feelings into a series of paintings. The individuals shown in these paintings are never wholly broken down by life; although sorrow or sadness may appear on their faces, they always maintain a steady calmness in the face of the problems that the world throws at them, and the overall effect is one of refined, gentlemanly bearing. The artistic lexicon of Chiu Ya-tsai’s paintings reflects in microcosm the life of the artist himself. Through his brushstrokes, Chiu was able to express his own identity, becoming a storyteller whose own tale is told through the figures in his portraits. It was precisely this lonely, unique spirit that gave Chiu Ya-tsai’s art its power.