Painted in 1989, Solitude ardente (Lot 1038) witnesses Georges Mathieu’s rise to his peak in Lyrical Abstraction during the Barbaric period. This exceptional work is distinguished by its radiating compositional structure, an element also found in his other iconic works from this time. The ink-like semi-concentric strokes located in the upper right is a motif inspired by the Zen Buddhist symbol of ensō, which appears frequently in Mathieu’s works painted after his studies of Eastern calligraphy and Zen philosophy in the 1950s. Indeed, as early as the beginning of that decade, Mathieu already played a role in the establishment of the Gutai Group in Japan just as he was gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese art through his interaction with close friends such as Zao Wou-ki and other Chinese artists in France. In 1957, Mathieu travelled to Japan and paid visits to various Buddhist temples while accompanied by the Gutai members. The ink paintings by ancient Zen monks that he saw there became a major source of inspiration for him. In Solitude ardente, the emphatically kinesthetic portrayal of the ensō reveals the artist’s painting process that was dependent upon a series of unbroken corporeal movements securely anchored by his shoulder. The resulted brushstrokes, set against the bright red background, breathes not only gestures but also life into this powerfully expressive painting.

《熾熱的放逐》（拍品編號1038）作於一九八九年，馬修進入「狂野時期」（Barbaric period）抒情抽象主義的鼎盛階段。此作呈現了馬修此時經典的放射性構圖。畫中右上方有一道如潑墨般的弧形黑色線條，更是馬修在五〇年代研究東方書法以及禪學後，在作品中出現的「圓相（Enso）」符號。馬修早在五〇年代初已經影響了日本具體派的成立，又在法國與趙無極等華人藝術家的深厚友誼中，汲取中國藝術精華； 馬修在1957年到訪日本，更在具體派成員的陪同下參觀各地寺廟，觀看古代僧侶創作的禪畫，獲得巨大創作靈感。本作中的「圓相」筆畫弧線流暢，可見藝術家下筆時以肩為圓心揮舞手臂、一氣呵成的動作，其使用全身運動作畫的筆觸軌跡，更在鮮紅色背景的承托下顯得更具表現性。