PRINTILLUSTRATED:
Chiu Ya-tsai, Goethe Art Center, Taichung, 2012,color illustrated, p. 73
Chiu Ya-tsai, Goethe Art Center, Taichung, 2012,color illustrated, p. 73
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Hesitation
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Oil on canvas 97 x 130.5 cm Signed lower left Chiu Ya-tsai in Chinese |
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Estimate
1,900,000 - 2,800,000 492,000 - 725,000 63,100 - 93,000
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Inquiry
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Catalogue Note:
In the world of contemporary Taiwanese literati art, Chiu Yatsai stoods unique by means of his dedication to the painting of portraits, whereas the expressions of the people in his creations always seem to be imbued with emotions of melancholy and desolation. He loved reading and had perused the classics of all nations and cultures, including the works of Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Yukio Mishima, and even Sima Qian’s “Records of the Grand Historian,” all of which describe human nature and observations of different eras in great detail. Works of literature like these resonated deeply with Chiu Ya-tsai back when he was a part of the labor force, before he made art his lifelong career, and have furthermore influenced his approaches toward artistic creation.
“Hesitation” is an artwork that embodies Chiu Ya-tsai’s signature palette of varying shades of blue. In bold, vigorous strokes his brush sweeps across the canvas with utter disregard for form and composition. In a style similar to that of the Expressionists, he illustrated a man with a thoughtful expression on his weathered face. His depictions of emotion in his subjects are mostly engendered during his long writing sessions at Wistaria Tea House, where he would carefully observe the customers that came bustling by, some of whom were scholars and poets, while others were merchants who had fallen into misfortune. On other occasions, there would also be stubborn politicians, lively social activists and the like. He would extract detailed, subjective interpretations from his observations as if he were able to decipher some mysterious, innate quality of the people or their lonely sense of being, or as if he were engaging in a spiritual monologue that subconsciously incorporated the artist’s own emotions. This depth of vision is what has enabled Chiu Ya-tsai to establish a unique presence and attain outstanding achievements within the contemporary art scene of Taiwan.
“Hesitation” is an artwork that embodies Chiu Ya-tsai’s signature palette of varying shades of blue. In bold, vigorous strokes his brush sweeps across the canvas with utter disregard for form and composition. In a style similar to that of the Expressionists, he illustrated a man with a thoughtful expression on his weathered face. His depictions of emotion in his subjects are mostly engendered during his long writing sessions at Wistaria Tea House, where he would carefully observe the customers that came bustling by, some of whom were scholars and poets, while others were merchants who had fallen into misfortune. On other occasions, there would also be stubborn politicians, lively social activists and the like. He would extract detailed, subjective interpretations from his observations as if he were able to decipher some mysterious, innate quality of the people or their lonely sense of being, or as if he were engaging in a spiritual monologue that subconsciously incorporated the artist’s own emotions. This depth of vision is what has enabled Chiu Ya-tsai to establish a unique presence and attain outstanding achievements within the contemporary art scene of Taiwan.