Lu Ming-te (Lu Mingde)

signed in pinyin, titled and dated 2010
executed in 2010.

Private Asian Collection

Tainan, inart.space, The New Classic of Mountains and Seas - Lu Ming-te, March 5 - April 10, 2011

The New Classic of Mountains and Seas - Lu Ming-te, inart.space, Tainan, 2011, p. 1, 14, 15, illustrated in colour
Art.Investment, Art & Collection Group, Taipei, 2011, March Issue, p. cover, 104, illustrated in colour
ARTITUDE, ARTITUDE, Taipei, 2011, February Issue, p. 68, illustrated in colour

 

 

 

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and paint losses along the edges of the painting, primarily along the bottom edge of the canvas.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Mythical Celestial Dreamscapes

The ancient peoples of China used texts and illustrations in the Classic of Mountains and Seas to depict the world they knew.  These fantastic images of strange beasts and flying fish are reinterpreted anew in the work of artist Lu Ming-Te.  Though the artist has given his work the title New Classic of Mountains and Sea, this is not simply a reapplication of the ancient text.  What appeals to him is not simply the illustrations of rare birds and magical beasts, but the wealth of vivid imaginings that these illustrations have caused to germinate.  The artist's background in traditional landscape painting and illustrations of vines taken from books of botanical survey, combine with the Hokusai-esque waves typical in Japanese folk art, and coexist with images of contemporary lighthouses.  There are mountains; there is water.  Linear time and spatial perception is deconstructed and rebuilt with the addition of mythical narrative, creating a limitless and fantastic reality.  The bliss and stability depicted in this illusionary landscape approaches the ideals of a Shangri-La.  For the artist, art springs from a hope for the future.  Simultaneous to creating these "scapes" on canvas are aims for an ideal future.  Though the works depict a multitude of flying fish and fanstastic beasts, flora, and fauna – these coexist in relative stability, in a state of harmony and peace.  They are copious but ordered, diverse but not chaotic.  Some "Lu-esque homor", embedded within, invites the audience to dialogue with the artist.