Page 398 - 亚洲二十世纪及当代艺术

112 蕭勤 1935-2023 Hsiao Chin

ೌᕚ Soggetto Informale
ф੹ ॷ͉ Tempera on paper
3
5
ɓɘɞʞϋЪ 60 × 40 cm. 23 /8 × 15 /4 in.
Painted in 1985
ಛᗆ
Hsiao ා ɞʞ€ɨʕ Signed in English and Chinese, dated in Chinese in
lower centre
Ը๕ PROVENANCE
2014 ϋ 5 ˜ 13 ˚d່ɽлϷᚆ Viscontea 13 May 2014, Viscontea Casa d’Aste Milan Italy Arte
Casa d’Aste Arte שርึdשۜᇜ໮ 231 Auction, Lot 231
ତԭݲӷɛᔛ࢕ٜટᒅІɪࠑԸ๕ Acquired directly by present private Asian collector
ڝj່ɽлϷᚆ Viscontea Casa d’Aste Arte שር from the above
ึකͭʘཥɿϗኽ This work is accompanied by an electronic receipt
issued by Viscontea Casa d’Aste Arte, Milan, Italy
HKD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 1,900 – 3,200
Behold the Visage of the Rising Sun; Listen to the In the painting, an indigo sun rises slowly from the bottom, and bold
Melody of the Milky Way and unrestrained colours break free from traditional representations
Hsiao Chin’s Cosmic Journey Across Two Decades of the sun, echoing the saying “Masterful craftmanship.” Light and
As the founder of the first Chinese abstract painting group “Eastern heat energy burst forth from the cool-coloured circle, endowing all
Painting Society” and a pioneer of modern Asian art, Hsiao Chin things on earth with life. Above the sun, layers of pink, orange, and
received a scholarship from the Spanish government to study art turquoise arrow-shaped bands accumulate, pointing towards infinity
in Europe at the age of 21. He devoted himself to studying Western and resembling the gradual diffusion of mysterious light waves in
avant-garde art, combining the traditional Chinese emphasis on the universe, revealing a dignified and mysterious temperament.
artistic conception with Western abstraction, shaking the Western art The visual collision between rounded curves and strong straight lines
world with his Eastern cosmic perspective. highlights Hsiao Chin’s avant-garde artistic vocabulary. Freely scattered
In his third year in Europe, Hsiao Chin gained the attention of the white dots on geometric shapes inject kinetic energy into the static
Spanish Gasset Gallery, which represented famous artists such as scene, creating a harmonious yin-yang universe space like a power totem
Picasso and Miro. Since then, he has received constant invitations worshipped in ancient civilizations, which is awe-inspiring.
and has become one of the few active Chinese abstract masters after The Surging Rhythm of the Universe
World War II. Over the past sixty years, his works have been collected The universe is the focus of Hsiao Chin’s heart, and the Landscapes
by more than forty important institutions worldwide, including the of the Universe Series created in the 1980s represents a significant
Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
and the Hong Kong Museum of Art. He is an indispensable pillar in the breakthrough from his Surya (Sun) Series in the 1960s, which focused
history of Chinese art, as art critic Peini Beatrice Hsieh said, “He is a on cosmic meditation. Black holes, nebulae, and cosmic whirlpools
living legend in the Chinese art world.” appear as even more expansive imagery, showcasing infinite energy
rhythms on a broader level. Soggetto Informale showcases Hsiao
Hsiao Chin’s most important artistic period was spent in Italy in the Chin’s grand and powerful artistic vision during this period.
1960s and 1980s. During this time, he initiated the “International
Punto Art Movement” in 1961 and the “International Surya Art The work Soggertto Informale deviates from precise symmetrical
Movement” in 1978, establishing his solid position at the forefront. geometric compositions and instead displays a graceful and dynamic
The two works featured in this auction, Senza Titolo (Lot 111) from the atmosphere with warm and rich calligraphic brushstrokes. With a
1960s and Soggetto Informale (Lot 112) from the 1980s, both come bold stroke of blue-purple, Hsiao Chin depicts a nebula wandering
from his time in Italy and represent significant stages of his Surya in the universe, seemingly simple yet full of subtle colour changes
(Sun) Series and Landscapes of the Universe Series, add a comma and intensity. The left side of the nebula is cyan-purple, evoking a
showcasing his philosophical exploration of cosmic energy over a mysterious and cold feeling of the universe, while the right side is
twenty-year period. illuminated by fibres of light, revealing a vibrant and beautiful purple-
The Ceaselessly Flowing Vitality of Life red. The changing density of colours from light to dark depicts the
Hsiao Chin’s works are highly respected from the 1960s, and the continuous transformation of the nebula, sometimes gathering
painting Senza Titolo created in the same year as the auction record- into dense deep purple clusters and other times dispersing like
setting painting of the same name, reflects this praise. During this flying white, brewing a storm in constant motion. At the lower edge
period, Hsiao Chin broke free from conservative academism and of the nebula, he splashed ink with automatic technique, creating
began to align himself with the European avant-garde art scene. He a cluster of colour dots, resembling celestial bodies escaping from
became acquainted with spatialist a gravitational field and demonstrating a dialectical relationship
master Lucio Fontana and sculptor between the whole and its parts. In the lower right corner, highly
J. Subiachs, among others, and saturated green, red, and yellow dots intrude, resembling falling
created his own artistic realm. meteors, impacting the edge of the nebula and bringing dramatic
Star ting from philosophical, suspense, showcasing the infinite possibilities of the universe. Hsiao
contemplative, and introspective
t h i n k i n g , h e p r o p o s e d t h e Chin expresses his Eastern intuition and the unbounded state of mind
“International Punto Art Movement” in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing the individual’s consciousness and
in 1961. Full rectangles and circles aesthetic experience. With his profound understanding and exploration
started to appear in his paintings, of the universe’s inherent order and inherent energy, he reveals the
expressing his pursuit of harmony in immense and profound force behind the cosmos through his works.
life and the universe found in Taoist With Eastern intuition and a Zen-like state of mind, Hsiao Chin portrays
ጽාೌᕚ‘dф੹ॷ͉d64 x 63 cmd philosophy. Senza Titolo is a classic the fusion of “selflessness” and the “cosmic self”, leading viewers into
1979 ϋЪdשርϓʹᄆ 42,700 ʩಥ࿆ representation of this. the vast and boundless universe, leaving them spellbound.
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