Poet Wai-lim Yip (b. 1937) believes Zao Wou-ki is the first Chinese artist to blend and present together in a rich whole, the Chinese picturesque realm, the artistic mood, concepts of time and space, as well as the westernized ideas of time-space exploration. Due to his success, latecomers in China were driven on to explore and uncover the path of abstract art. In the realms of abstract painting, Zao was a pioneer. (Wai-lim Yip, Dialogues With Contemporary Artists-Birth and Growth of Chinese Modern Oil Paintings, Tung Ta Book Company, Taipei, December 1987-first edition, February 1996-second edition, p.13) Indeed, over the years, critiques for Zao Wou-ki's art have mainly been the work of poets. Having practiced music for six years, there is a certain musical element in Zao's paintings that is close to the levels of poetry. Among the friends who appreciate him, the most important one in his life was also a poet, Henri Michaux (1899-1984), who held the highest esteem for Chinese culture. Michaux and Zao were acquainted in 1949 and their friendship lasted for 35 years. Michaux once pointed out that Zao Wou-ki's paintings were not "landscapes"but "nature" and this assessment tallied truly with the artist's state of mind. Fortunately, through Michaux's introductions, Zao was able to assimilate himself in no time into the art and literary circle of Paris, which is a gathering of the talented and able, and hence be able to progress in step with members of the post war New York School.
"Abstract Expressionism" also known as "Non-Figurative" was a new form of mainstream art that flourished after the Second World War. Their beliefs lie in the use of form and color in an art form that wholly express the artist's concept of self. Starting from Kandinsky onwards, abstract art turned into an important art phenomenon during the mid twentieth century, while Expressionism, which began from the paintings of Cezanne and van Gogh, reemerged again during this time due to the impact of war. The two streams of art combined to form a trend that mesmerized New York. Despite the differences in style among the members, they still dominated in their own respective domains. Two groups emerged from the trends, one of which was "Action Paintings"such as the likes of Jackson Pollock, William de Kooning, Franz Kline and Guston; the other group was "Color Field Painting"represented by the likes of Mark Rothko, Kenneth Noland and Robert Motherwell. After the war, European art was also simultaneously inspired by the American art, initiating the artistic trend "l'art informel"one the European continent at nearly the same time. Representative figures include Hans Hartung, Gerard Schneider, Pierre Soulages etc., and Zao Wou-ki in precise, was one of the members from this artistic trend, favorably known was the lyric abstract painter.
Most of the art critics sugguest that Zao Wou-ki's abstract painting in the 1960s has come to its climax; his fame has reached an unpresedented height. Zao has also mentioned in his autobigraphy, "Aujourdh'hui, je vois bien que ces dix annees, entre 1960 et 1970, m'ont permis de donner corps a ce long travail que j'avais accompli depuis mon arrive."Zao is very pleased with his works in the 1960s and considers it the stage when his work marched on to full maturity. His style in this period is also highly appreciated by international art critics.
This piece of work, "5.12.1969" was completed in the late spring/ early summer in 1969, during one of the most pleasant seasons in Paris. 1969 was a radiant year for Zao. In March, Pierre Schneider's "Champ visual"series on the French Television edited a film about Zao Wou-ki, in which they interviewed him and talked about how Chinese and European arts come together in his works. In the same series, Zao was also invited to comment on Hartung's exhibition in Musee? d'Art Moderne, Paris, as well as Jean Dubuffet's works. This shows his position, at the time, in the French art world.
For Zao, 1969 was also a year of travel. He had been receiving exhibition invitations from all over the world: First, it was the "Art contemporain, dialogue entre l'est et l'ouest"exhibition of The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan; then, the "Art contemporain"of the Gstaad Palace Hotel in Switzerland; the "Peintres-Illustrateurs"joint exhibition of the French Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de Vence; and the "Peintres francaise depuis 1900"exhibition of the Royal Academy in London. His second large-scaled retrospective of oil paintings opened pompously in the summer of 1969 and toured in Museee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, and in Musee du Quebee, in Canada.
When traveling, a painter is inspired with new ideas through the transformation of mood. Zao also mentioned that he enjoys traveling, but he does not paint what he sees right in his eyes. He said, for instance, he went to Taihu, feeling refreshed, and that would help him paint. Classic landscape painters in China or in the world all get their inspirations from natural scenery. Cezanne, who influenced Zao the most in his early stage, also got his inspiration from contemplating the holly mountain. For Zao, the way Cezanne dealt with the disconnected color blocks of the mountain and the sky is completely Chinese and is close to how Fan K'uan (ca. 990-1030) and Mi Fei (1051-1107) did their paintings. Zao values these Chinese and Western painters highly and considers the three of them have very similar approaches to space. Therefore, he has a famous quote, "Picasso taught us how to draw a Picasso, Cezanne taught me how to appreciate the essence of our Chinese paintings."
The Taiwanese art critic Tu Juo-chou suggests that the "Chinese space"and the "Western light"are two of the significant artistic achievements of Zao Wou-ki. Zao not only combines the essences of the two great cultures but also revealed their commonness or constancies. He pointed out in the article, The Origin of Zao Wou-ki's Painting, that "When he (Zao) looked at The Virgin And Child Enthroned And Surrounded By Angels by Cimabue (the first master of the 14th century Italian Florentine school) in Musee? du Louvre, except praising and claiming it as 'the most beautiful painting in Musee? du Louvre' he also pointed out that the brushwork of clouds and fog in Chinese landscape paintings is exactly like the angels"halos in this picture. And that is the key to create the unique space in the picture. He regarded it as a 'wonderful constitution'and we can tell that the general understanding of paintings and of the Chinese tradition are very crucial for him."Zao has once stated, "If there are undeniable Chinese influences in my artistic cultivation, I have to explain that my true personality has also come closer to maturity since my re-discovery of China."(Reference: Yuan, De-Xing, (ed). Zao Wou-ki, Yuanchen Publication Ltd., Taipei, 1980, p. 13)
Tu thinks that, except the "space" there are the "light"and relative "colors"in Zao Wou-ki's works. His light is with very high brightness and is mysterious, like that of the Dutch painter Rembrandt; it also looks like being erupted from the extreme natural cataclysm, thunders, rain, and tidal waves; his colors often bring out gorgeous and magical "scenes"-the colors that the Chinese has failed to hand down in the 14th century (the Yuan Dynasty) are the quality that he intends to recover.
Undoubtedly, Zao's "5.12.1969"shows incredible use of space and light; it is one of the brilliant representative works in his painting career. It combines the essences of Chinese and Western arts, delivering an ingenious world view, and let the viewers have the feeling of bathing under the sacred lights. He has pushed forward the grand and great tradition, and his achievement is well appreciated. The famous art historian in Taiwan, Hsiao Chiung-jui, has commented on this piece, in Masters of Chinese Painting: Zao Wou-ki, that this piece of his in 1969 has "an continuously rising power, which gives people an uplifting will."
Zao has once written in his autobiography, "Les grandes surfaces me demandaient de me batter avec l'espace; je devais imp?ativement remplir cette surface, la faire vivre et me donner a elle. Je cherchais a exprimer le movement, sa lenteur lancinante ou sa fulgurance, je voulas faire vibrer la surface de la toile grace aux contrastes ou aux multiples fremissements d'une meme couleur. Je chercais un centre qui irradie."Under the reflection of the centered light source, the piece shows an expansive majesty with splashing board strokes; meanwhile, it is also blended with fine, trembling lines. The brush marks imply the movement of the Chinese clerical script and wild cursive script calligraphy; as they gather and scatter, the picture is enriched with the wonderful delight of Chinese landscapes. Although he has adapted an abstract form, the picture certainly expresses an oriental philosophy. Thus, Zao Wou-ki has managed to create a new perspective of painting vision, in which the mind can meanders, an endless universe full of imaginations.
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