PRINTILLUSTRATED:
CHU TEH-CHUN, Impressions Art Gallery, Taipei, 2005,color illustrated, no. 065, p. 100
CHU TEH-CHUN, Impressions Art Gallery, Taipei, 2005,color illustrated, no. 065, p. 100
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Poème Épique
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2001 Oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm Signed lower right CHU TEH-CHUN in Chinese and French, dated 2001 |
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Estimate
28,000,000 - 36,000,000 7,254,000 - 9,326,000 929,900 - 1,195,600
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Sold Price
26,400,000 6,875,000 879,414
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Inquiry
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Catalogue Note:
POÈME ÉPIQUE
Chu Teh-chun “On my canvas, the colors and lines never meet each other incidentally. They all harmoniously achieve a single purpose: activating light sources to evoke images and rhythms.” - Chu Teh-chun
Chu Teh-chun once said that the reason why he went into abstract art was not because he had been won over by any theoretical arguments in its favor, but rather because of his experience of viewing free, expressive paintings that overcame the opposition between figurative and abstract painting; these paintings stimulated him, and made him want to attempt something along the same lines. It dawned on him that the goal of abstract painting was to depict those images in one’s memory that seem both real and unreal. Inspired by this realization, Chu Teh-chun cast off the shackles of conventional art and threw himself wholeheartedly into this unknown territory.It was only after taking the plunge into the mysterious world of abstract art that Chu Teh-chun realized that “freedom” means more than just liberation from artistic form; it is also a way of approaching the whole business of artistic creation. He became aware of just how important freedom is in painting, but also of how difficult it is to achieve. Chu was constantly pondering the question of how to prevent his paintings from degenerating into meaningless wild abandon, how to ensure that spiritual inspiration was not accompanied by a loss of “content.” In his treatise Mountains and Waters, the Northern Song Dynasty landscape painter Kuo Hsi uses the concepts of the “meaning beyond the landscape” and the “wonder beyond the meaning,” suggesting that if the scenery depicted in a landscape painting does not inspire reflection, then it cannot move the viewer, or even the artist, and the work will be empty and meaningless. Over time, an artist internalizes the beautiful scenes they have viewed, the poetry they have read, the music they have heard, and all of their other “cultural” memories; all of this can well up within them at any time, providing a neverexhausted well of inspiration for painting, and being reflected in the paintings that the artist produces (whether consciously or not).
Although inspired by Western abstract expressionist art, Chu always had a high degree of respect for Chinese landscape painting during the Tang and Song dynasties. He also enjoyed reading Tang poetry and Song Ci (a poetic meter) to cultivate his personality. Chu perfectly combined modern abstract painting with poetry, painting and artistic conception, embodying the ancient saying that “painting dwells in poetry as poetry exists in painting.” He was called “the Song painter of the 20th century.” Chu held a habit of listening to classical music when creating his works. Following the rhythm of the musical notes, he expressed a kind of musical element and spirituality on his canvas. The soul–stirring emotion surges and falls just like individual movements in a symphony.Technique, literature, philosophy and knowledge are all important foundations for a painter since culture and knowledge can imbue a painting with added depth. Being diligent in self–enrichment, Chu saw these elements as necessities.
The artist at his 80s still possesses childlike innocence and created his work in a light and carefree sense, showing a magnificent landscape of memory. He once said, “Abstract painting depicts those paradoxical images of a person’s life experiences sinking into memory. I believe this is the unknown land I shall explore.” A kind of unnamed and unknown feeling surges like an eruption of flame. Chu explored and depicted these unspeakable yet stunning scenes wholeheartedly. Taking his inspiration not only from the simple stylistic formality of this traditional cultural influence, Chu blended these ideals with European modernist movements and aesthetics. From a deeper spiritual connection as well as his own memories of landscapes and beauty, Chu elevates each aesthetic influence by accentuating the individual inherent qualities in an elegant amalgamation of style and form.
Poème épique a gorgeous piece completed in the artist’s early 80s, demonstrates this intermingling of influences by incorporating bold colors and an Abstract Expressionist form with the fluidity of calligraphic brush strokes. In this piece, the artist transforms the viscous oil paints to achieve a similar texture to the “six graded colors” — black, white, dark, light, dry, and wet— of t radi t ional ink - wash technique. This mastery in rendering the oils to control the weight of the paint and application of color creates sweeps of ethereal lightness across the dark deposits of blackened brown. Deep shadows form depth and dimension across the two panels, establishing a landscape intense in complexity. As the gentle swaths of airy white spread from the contrasting darkness of the rich background, Chu creates a sense of overwhelming expanse, the sense of space extending beyond the confines of the canvas. Pools of molten golden light emanate vibrantly from the darkened depths of the shadowed expanse, while colors dance across spectrum of illumination. The stunning jewel tones shine vibrantly out from the darkness, blazing across the center of the composition in an exultant celebration of color. Each vivid deposit of color creates a new layer of depth and dimension, adding to the visual representation of the infinite within the present lot.
Chu Teh-chun “On my canvas, the colors and lines never meet each other incidentally. They all harmoniously achieve a single purpose: activating light sources to evoke images and rhythms.” - Chu Teh-chun
Chu Teh-chun once said that the reason why he went into abstract art was not because he had been won over by any theoretical arguments in its favor, but rather because of his experience of viewing free, expressive paintings that overcame the opposition between figurative and abstract painting; these paintings stimulated him, and made him want to attempt something along the same lines. It dawned on him that the goal of abstract painting was to depict those images in one’s memory that seem both real and unreal. Inspired by this realization, Chu Teh-chun cast off the shackles of conventional art and threw himself wholeheartedly into this unknown territory.It was only after taking the plunge into the mysterious world of abstract art that Chu Teh-chun realized that “freedom” means more than just liberation from artistic form; it is also a way of approaching the whole business of artistic creation. He became aware of just how important freedom is in painting, but also of how difficult it is to achieve. Chu was constantly pondering the question of how to prevent his paintings from degenerating into meaningless wild abandon, how to ensure that spiritual inspiration was not accompanied by a loss of “content.” In his treatise Mountains and Waters, the Northern Song Dynasty landscape painter Kuo Hsi uses the concepts of the “meaning beyond the landscape” and the “wonder beyond the meaning,” suggesting that if the scenery depicted in a landscape painting does not inspire reflection, then it cannot move the viewer, or even the artist, and the work will be empty and meaningless. Over time, an artist internalizes the beautiful scenes they have viewed, the poetry they have read, the music they have heard, and all of their other “cultural” memories; all of this can well up within them at any time, providing a neverexhausted well of inspiration for painting, and being reflected in the paintings that the artist produces (whether consciously or not).
Although inspired by Western abstract expressionist art, Chu always had a high degree of respect for Chinese landscape painting during the Tang and Song dynasties. He also enjoyed reading Tang poetry and Song Ci (a poetic meter) to cultivate his personality. Chu perfectly combined modern abstract painting with poetry, painting and artistic conception, embodying the ancient saying that “painting dwells in poetry as poetry exists in painting.” He was called “the Song painter of the 20th century.” Chu held a habit of listening to classical music when creating his works. Following the rhythm of the musical notes, he expressed a kind of musical element and spirituality on his canvas. The soul–stirring emotion surges and falls just like individual movements in a symphony.Technique, literature, philosophy and knowledge are all important foundations for a painter since culture and knowledge can imbue a painting with added depth. Being diligent in self–enrichment, Chu saw these elements as necessities.
The artist at his 80s still possesses childlike innocence and created his work in a light and carefree sense, showing a magnificent landscape of memory. He once said, “Abstract painting depicts those paradoxical images of a person’s life experiences sinking into memory. I believe this is the unknown land I shall explore.” A kind of unnamed and unknown feeling surges like an eruption of flame. Chu explored and depicted these unspeakable yet stunning scenes wholeheartedly. Taking his inspiration not only from the simple stylistic formality of this traditional cultural influence, Chu blended these ideals with European modernist movements and aesthetics. From a deeper spiritual connection as well as his own memories of landscapes and beauty, Chu elevates each aesthetic influence by accentuating the individual inherent qualities in an elegant amalgamation of style and form.
Poème épique a gorgeous piece completed in the artist’s early 80s, demonstrates this intermingling of influences by incorporating bold colors and an Abstract Expressionist form with the fluidity of calligraphic brush strokes. In this piece, the artist transforms the viscous oil paints to achieve a similar texture to the “six graded colors” — black, white, dark, light, dry, and wet— of t radi t ional ink - wash technique. This mastery in rendering the oils to control the weight of the paint and application of color creates sweeps of ethereal lightness across the dark deposits of blackened brown. Deep shadows form depth and dimension across the two panels, establishing a landscape intense in complexity. As the gentle swaths of airy white spread from the contrasting darkness of the rich background, Chu creates a sense of overwhelming expanse, the sense of space extending beyond the confines of the canvas. Pools of molten golden light emanate vibrantly from the darkened depths of the shadowed expanse, while colors dance across spectrum of illumination. The stunning jewel tones shine vibrantly out from the darkness, blazing across the center of the composition in an exultant celebration of color. Each vivid deposit of color creates a new layer of depth and dimension, adding to the visual representation of the infinite within the present lot.