Page 163 - 亚洲二十世纪及当代艺术

spatial sense in multiple spaces, in a way that makes clear his understanding of
and love for Chinese painting. This discovery deeply surprised Zao Wou-Ki and
led to an epiphany that caused him to reexamine his Eastern roots, from which
he took aesthetic sustenance. From 1951 to 1953, Zao’s paintings embraced the
world of semiotics, while retaining semi-representational elements and guides,
as a result of which he created a series of works that very much resonated with
people and which many fell in love with. Sculptor Alberto Giacometti, who was
a noted fan of Zao’s works in this period, said: “There is something thrilling in the
paintings, they are replete with life energy.” Deux Cimes was created against this
backdrop.
Heaven, Earth, People as One with the Universe
As Zao Wou-Ki started to reexamine his Chinese identity, he extracted the
aesthetic essence with which he identified and cherished from Chinese culture,
masterfully transforming and expressing it through Western media. In this
horizontal painting the artist chooses lush green associated with bronzeware
and oracle bones from the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) and Zhou (1046-256 BCE)
dynasties as the main colour tone. By marking the whole work with colour
gradations and changes in the degree of lightness, he deliberately crafts a
sense of history as from feeling of antiquity and distance associated with Han
Dynasty (202 BCE – 9 AD, 25–220 AD) stone reliefs. This lush green is also the
colour of nature and symbolizes “the origins of life.” Unlike Paysage de Montagne ँਠࣛಂٙڡზኜdႻೌ฽࿁ʕ਷ڡზኜतйఃฌdᔛϞɓӻΐٙڡზᓖ
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painted by Zao in 1948, in Deux Cimes he boldly moves away from overly detailed ΁dϾՉ 50-60 ϋ˾ٙЪۜһεԈϤڡზၠ੹ٙ͜Ѝd݊ϣɪשٙᕐࢤ‘
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depictions of natural scenery, in favor of the Eastern preference for erudite
aesthetics and “simplicity over complexity” – condensing the word into the
scene presented to the viewer. The three-section composition is comprised of that is rich in atmosphere ... expressing the
three spatial layers representing heaven, earth and people, showcasing nature instinct toward three-dimensional space
and scenery in the most refined semiotic depiction, with the Western one-point of a Chinese person. A Chinese artist never
perspective and Eastern multi-point perspective perfectly combined. concerns himself with the exterior of an
object but rather always observes things
Zao Wou-Ki employs fine powerful lines like bronze engraving, and through hidden behind the object and the haze-
changes in weight and speed ingeniously crafts a sense of three-dimensional shrouded distant scenes that fill many
scenery from two dimensional pictures. From top to bottom he depicts a vast traditional Chinese paintings invariably
sky, a round moon, mountains, green waves, the wind, an undulating river and a allude to a real world beyond the physical
line of building structures that symbolize the crystallization of human civilization. world we can see.”
At the far left there is what looks like two pagodas, which exquisitely echo the
exterior of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Directly in front of this a straight, {{English art historian Michael Sullivan
perspective-oriented road below the centre of the painting opens up in front of If we look back at the childhood of Zao Wou-Ki,
us, as if inviting the viewer into the world of the painting. In this presentation, the every Chinese New Year his banker father would
cosmos is condensed into three simple elements: sky, mountains and rivers, display a painting he had collected by Mi Fu (1051-
and buildings, with heaven, earth and people as one. This imparts to the viewer 1107) for the family to appreciate and this influenced
a powerful sense of harmony and inclusiveness reminiscent of the words of Zao in adulthood. In terms of the history of Chinese
Zhuangzi: Heaven, Earth, and I were produced together. It also conveys the painting the artist particularly favored Song Dynasty
power of natural vastness and distance, listening carefully to the heart beat of paintings which he considered to be the peak of
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Zao’s ability to present the breadth of the world and the vastness of the
universe in the scene is both a boundless spiritual surprise and a comfort.
Within this barely discernible night sky, next to the moon the artist adds several
red brushstrokes as a finishing touch. This dramatic colour contrast with the
background heightens the natural magical power of the red moon lighting up the
world below. In so doing it also brings to mind the words of a new poem Joyful
Moon: “Tonight all is quiet there is no wind, a red light hangs in the green sky,
grand occasions take place around the world, but everyone stares at the moon”,
or alternatively the words of Wang Wei (701-761) in An Autumn Evening in the
Mountains: “The bright moon shines between the pines, the clear spring water
flows over the stones.” Such sentiments make the viewer yearn to explore and
wander but also reflect a profound respect for nature.
Reviving Aesthetics, Haziness and Poetry Ⴛ ೌ ฽  ɾ ɛ ၾ μ ٙ Ν М ‘d ذ ੹ ೥ ̺ d 1 9 51 ϋ Ъ d 1 3 0 x 1 9 5 c m dˋ ኇ ତ ˾
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“Zao Wou-Ki combines the radiance of calligraphy with a depth
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