PRINTILLUSTRATED:
Zao Wou-ki, Jean Leymarie, Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1986, blackand white illustrated, no. 560, p. 353
This painting is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity issued byAtelier Zao Wou-ki.
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23.11.83
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1983 Oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm Signed lower right Wou-ki in Chinese and ZAO in French |
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Estimate
50,000,000 - 60,000,000 12,346,000 - 14,815,000 1,591,300 - 1,909,600
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Sold Price
52,960,000 12,885,645 1,659,668
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ILLUSTRATED:
Zao Wou-ki, Jean Leymarie, Editions Cercle d’Art, Paris, 1986, blackand white illustrated, no. 560, p. 353
This painting is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity issued byAtelier Zao Wou-ki.
Catalogue Note:
Outstanding art not only reflects the zeitgeist of its time, but must also sincerely convey the inner world of its creator, refining, purifying, and evolving into heartwarming pieces through each creator’s unique and indescribable way. Talent and hard work are essential for artists, but as the artists age, the ability to turn life experiences into pearls of wisdom is often the deciding factor in whether an artist can transform and elevate their work. Blessed with longevity, Zao Wou-ki spent his whole life creating works of art. He was that rare artist who had been continuously making breakthroughs and awes the world. His life was filled with ups and downs, with a climactic romantic life, but his focused pursuit of art was unwavering. Art was the ambition of his life, as well as his only salvation in the dark times. He was always able to turn the difficulties of life into opportunities, reaching new heights again and again in his artistic career. In the early 1980s, his paintings incorporated beautiful colors and cheerful rhythms, depicting the bright atmosphere and glorious days of all the world.
Compared to the passionate emotion and world-conquering ambition to pursue excellence so frequently evident in his 1960s pieces, Zao Wouki displayed a different, cheerful mindset in “23.11.83”. Zao Wou-ki was a man of pure emotion and passionate nature, both in art and in love. Decades of exploring art and traveling the world brought assurance and maturity to his painting, helping him reach another milestone in the 1980s. When he was invited to show his work in a solo exhibition at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris, he became the first ever Chinese artist to have a solo exhibition at this French palace of art, an event of deep significance. In these few years, the artist created many large pieces of art with vigorous energy. At this time, Zao Wou-ki revisited ink wash and went further to understand its essence, perfectly blending the spirit of ink wash with the vivid colors and supple texture of oil paint in his unique style, displaying a world of magnificent depth and endless charm. In 1972, Zao Wou-ki fell into great sorrow after his second wife Chan May-Kan passed away from long-term illness. Unable to paint, he found an emotional outlet in ink and paper. Ink wash evoked his childhood memories, and provided the possibility for agile creations and endless inspiration. On the other hand, after his wife passed away, the artist met the French woman Françoise Marquet. They were married in 1977, and it is not hard to see the abundant happiness in his works around 1980. In 1983, Zao Wou-ki had a solo exhibition at National Museum of History in Taiwan. He also visited his friend of many years Chang Dai-chien, who resided in Taipei, and viewed the ink wash master’s late-period splashed ink pieces. In September of that same year, Zao Wou-ki had an exhibition in his homeland at the National Art Museum of China, decades after he left for Paris, and gave lectures at his alma mater, the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (formerly the Hangzhou College of Art). And in November of that year, he completed the brilliant, composed work that merges the spirit of ink wash with the splendors of oil that is “23.11.83”.
Zao Wou-ki was in his sixties at the time he created “23.11.83”. During this time the artist enjoyed layering vivid colors, creating great depth. He had become masterful in his control of colors, and his paintings showed exuberance and elegance. In “23.11.83”, Zao Wou-ki used clear, saturated blue to lay out a sophisticated world, unfurling a vast, boundless universe, like an unending sky, or the ocean from which all life springs. Peeking though are various shades of pale yellow, and delicate light purple and pink, revealing a hint of glittering amidst the elegance, a subtle flash of colorful light. On the bottom right, like pale moonlight, is an elegant stroke of pale yellow. The artist’s signature lays atop it, as natural as could be. In the upper part of the painting is an unbroken, mountainous horizontal structure of black, brown, blue, purple and yellow melded together. Billowing in places, flowing in others, a myriad of scenery can be found in the details. The dark block of color is small but momentous, like a towering mountain in the sky or an island floating on the sea, shimmering and hiding the secrets of the universe. The whole piece exudes a bright energy that is dreamlike and poetic, gently embracing the viewer. It draws one in to explore it time and again, inspiring endless imagination.
Compared to the passionate emotion and world-conquering ambition to pursue excellence so frequently evident in his 1960s pieces, Zao Wouki displayed a different, cheerful mindset in “23.11.83”. Zao Wou-ki was a man of pure emotion and passionate nature, both in art and in love. Decades of exploring art and traveling the world brought assurance and maturity to his painting, helping him reach another milestone in the 1980s. When he was invited to show his work in a solo exhibition at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris, he became the first ever Chinese artist to have a solo exhibition at this French palace of art, an event of deep significance. In these few years, the artist created many large pieces of art with vigorous energy. At this time, Zao Wou-ki revisited ink wash and went further to understand its essence, perfectly blending the spirit of ink wash with the vivid colors and supple texture of oil paint in his unique style, displaying a world of magnificent depth and endless charm. In 1972, Zao Wou-ki fell into great sorrow after his second wife Chan May-Kan passed away from long-term illness. Unable to paint, he found an emotional outlet in ink and paper. Ink wash evoked his childhood memories, and provided the possibility for agile creations and endless inspiration. On the other hand, after his wife passed away, the artist met the French woman Françoise Marquet. They were married in 1977, and it is not hard to see the abundant happiness in his works around 1980. In 1983, Zao Wou-ki had a solo exhibition at National Museum of History in Taiwan. He also visited his friend of many years Chang Dai-chien, who resided in Taipei, and viewed the ink wash master’s late-period splashed ink pieces. In September of that same year, Zao Wou-ki had an exhibition in his homeland at the National Art Museum of China, decades after he left for Paris, and gave lectures at his alma mater, the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (formerly the Hangzhou College of Art). And in November of that year, he completed the brilliant, composed work that merges the spirit of ink wash with the splendors of oil that is “23.11.83”.
Zao Wou-ki was in his sixties at the time he created “23.11.83”. During this time the artist enjoyed layering vivid colors, creating great depth. He had become masterful in his control of colors, and his paintings showed exuberance and elegance. In “23.11.83”, Zao Wou-ki used clear, saturated blue to lay out a sophisticated world, unfurling a vast, boundless universe, like an unending sky, or the ocean from which all life springs. Peeking though are various shades of pale yellow, and delicate light purple and pink, revealing a hint of glittering amidst the elegance, a subtle flash of colorful light. On the bottom right, like pale moonlight, is an elegant stroke of pale yellow. The artist’s signature lays atop it, as natural as could be. In the upper part of the painting is an unbroken, mountainous horizontal structure of black, brown, blue, purple and yellow melded together. Billowing in places, flowing in others, a myriad of scenery can be found in the details. The dark block of color is small but momentous, like a towering mountain in the sky or an island floating on the sea, shimmering and hiding the secrets of the universe. The whole piece exudes a bright energy that is dreamlike and poetic, gently embracing the viewer. It draws one in to explore it time and again, inspiring endless imagination.