PROVENANCE:
Vente d’atelier T’ang Haywen, Drouot-Richelieu, Paris, 1992
Private collection, Europe
Est-Ouest Auction, Hong Kong
Acquired from the above by the present owner

COMPOSITION (DIPTYCH)
T'ANG HAYWEN

Born in Xiamen in 1927, T’ang Haywen immigrated to Saigon, Vietnam when he was 10 years old. He enrolled in a French school and learned ink wash painting and calligraphy from his grandfather. In 1948, he arrived in Paris, where he initially followed his father’s wish and studied medicine. T’ang then started painting classes, and embarked on an artistic expedition in Europe. He visited art galleries and museums, absorbing the essence of Western artworks from the past.

In the early 1960s, T’ang Haywen started studying books such as ”Tao Te Ching” and ”Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden”. He was inspired by traditional Chinese culture, art and calligraphy, he subsequently infused ancient Chinese philosophy into his creations. He crossed the boundaries of tradition, fully unleashing the potential of ink wash painting, conveying the diversity and complexity of Chinese culture through ink wash paintings, actively promoting the development of contemporary Chinese ink wash painting in European art. To him, working on ink paintings is a way to express himself freely. The joys and freedom of life, emotions such as kindness, calmness, sadness, and emptiness are all conveyed to the fullest through brush and ink.

In the 1970s, T’ang established his own artistic style, creating many calligraphy and ink wash diptych pieces. With grand yet sophisticated artistic quality, he left a unique and everlasting mark on the developmental history of contemporary ink wash paintings. As a painter in France, T’ang differs from fellow artists in that he studied art on his own, his own style derived from meticulous observation and deep reflection of artistic culture; unlike Chu Teh-Chun and Zao Wou-ki, who studied under Lin Fengmian. In recent years, his artwork has gained significant attention in Asian and European art circles, with paintings in many internationally renowned museum collections, including that of the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the M+ Museum in Hong Kong.

”Composition” is presented in his classic diptych style. The black ink gradient seeps in the paper with smooth brushstr okes and great energy. The colored ink is applied delicately, carefully, as circles of various sizes winding in the center of the painting. As the artist himself said, “Painting is energy” - the ‘energy’ in T’ang’s work in an extension of the ideals in Taoist philosophy and Chinese calligraphy. It is said in the ”Tao Te Ching”: “Dao begets One (nothingness), One begets Two (yin and yang), Two begets Three (Heaven, Earth and Man), Three begets all things. All things carry the females and embrace the male. And by breathing together, they live in harmony.” The concept of “Dao” is depicted by the collision of black ink on white paper, creating a space that is real and surreal simultaneously, making the image full of mystery. All tangible elements are taken from the image; simplistic composition and restrained use of color reflect incorporation of the stylistic approaches of Western abstract art.