PRINTPROVENANCE:
Private collection, Asia
Private collection, Asia
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Deep in the Verdant Twilight
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2013 Oil on canvas 139 x 161 cm Signed lower right Sophie in English, dated 2013 |
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Estimate
1,200,000 - 1,400,000 311,000 - 363,000 39,900 - 46,500
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Sold Price
1,800,000 468,750 59,960
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Inquiry
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Catalogue Note:
Amid the closed-off darkness of “Deep in the Verdant Twilight,” a sea of clouds seems to surge forth, similar to the mystical landscapes of Zhangjiajie or Huangshan when shrouded in fog. As Sophie Chang commented, “A stark contrast between imagination and reality formed in my mind that resulted in ‘Deep in the Verdant Twilight.’ The wonders of the scenery in China is also reflected in the space between reality and imagination!” The artist used oil paints to replicate the elegance of ink spreading in water, astounding the viewers with fog that seems to sweep across the canvas in vivid layers of density. The cracks of the “Chang’s Methodology” which forms the rocky textures, much like the techniques for painting cracks in Chinese ink and wash landscape paintings. This strengthens the texture of the mountains in a way that conveys a classical beauty similar to that of traditional ink and wash paintings.
Chang’s series of abstract works from a “universe of the mind” reminds the viewers of Liu Kuo-sung’s later works. After Liu accomplished the “Space Series” in the 1960s, he painted the vast beauty of snowy landscapes in his “Tibet Series” in the late 80s and the solidified abstract vocabulary of his “ Universe in my Mind” series from the 90s, both of which present the true face of the world as seen through his eyes. Chang has always admired the bold scale of Liu’s works; but apart from a study of a painting from his Impressionist “Jiuzhaigou Series,” she has not involved herself too greatly with his works. Indeed, as an ink and wash painter, Liu utilizes a “jerking, peeling, and wrinkle” method of his own creation, which consists of striping layers off of a specially made thick paper to create the texture of mountains covered in snow. On the other hand, Chang paints with oils on canvas and uses the “Chang’s Methodology” she discovered by chance, in which, through repeated experimentation, she has learned to control the cracking and layering of paint to create vein-like textures. With a rough foundation supporting an attention to texture and detail, she creates a boundless “universe of the mind.” Chang mixes abstract vocabulary from the Western tradition with her own observations and realizations to create a condition where, for the artist, “the mind is the universe, the universe is the mind.” She subconsciously invites the viewer to leave the noise of the material world and, instead, wander the pathways of the soul.
Chang’s series of abstract works from a “universe of the mind” reminds the viewers of Liu Kuo-sung’s later works. After Liu accomplished the “Space Series” in the 1960s, he painted the vast beauty of snowy landscapes in his “Tibet Series” in the late 80s and the solidified abstract vocabulary of his “ Universe in my Mind” series from the 90s, both of which present the true face of the world as seen through his eyes. Chang has always admired the bold scale of Liu’s works; but apart from a study of a painting from his Impressionist “Jiuzhaigou Series,” she has not involved herself too greatly with his works. Indeed, as an ink and wash painter, Liu utilizes a “jerking, peeling, and wrinkle” method of his own creation, which consists of striping layers off of a specially made thick paper to create the texture of mountains covered in snow. On the other hand, Chang paints with oils on canvas and uses the “Chang’s Methodology” she discovered by chance, in which, through repeated experimentation, she has learned to control the cracking and layering of paint to create vein-like textures. With a rough foundation supporting an attention to texture and detail, she creates a boundless “universe of the mind.” Chang mixes abstract vocabulary from the Western tradition with her own observations and realizations to create a condition where, for the artist, “the mind is the universe, the universe is the mind.” She subconsciously invites the viewer to leave the noise of the material world and, instead, wander the pathways of the soul.