- 518
Tang Haiwen
Estimate
1,500,000 - 2,500,000 HKD
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Description
- Tang Haiwen
- L'aube
- oil on canvas
signed in Pinyin and Chinese and dated 65
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present private European collector
Condition
This work is in good condition. There are three dot spots of paint loss respectively located 13.5 cm from the top and 8.7 cm from the right edge; on the right edge 65 cm from the bottom; and on the bottom edge 4 cm from the left. Close examination also reveals minute specks of white accretion scattered across the canvas and very light undulation at the upper left corner. There is no evidence of restoration under UV.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The Mystic Wisdom: The Abstract World of Tang Haiwen
The post-war wave of Chinese artists moving to France produced the masters Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-Chun, and Wu Guanzhong, as well as several other outstanding artists whose works are also worthy of exploration. Tang Haiwen’s individual approach to abstract art fully exploited the advantages of the Eastern ink-on-paper style, he also applied these ideas to his work in oils. These aspects of his artistry are exemplified by the five Tang Haiwen works in this season.
L’aube: the Ink-inspired Oil
Tang Haiwen 's life style is subtle, but his ability and insight earned him the friendship of personages such as the southern French aristocrat Gertrude Roquefort Villenueve, the Polish-French master Balthus de Rola, and Dominique Ponnau, the director of the École du Louvre. In the 1960s, Tang turned to abstraction and developed a more individualized style. A minority of Tang's works are oil paintings, and L’aube (Lot 518) is one of the very few such works of relatively large dimensions. The painting, which takes the hues of ink painting as its basis, consists of upper, middle, and lower horizontal spaces differentiated by subtle variances in colour. At first glance, it appears abstract and geometrical, but a closer look reveals a tranquil landscape of mountains and water. It is a lyrical and abstruse concept which Jean-Paul Desroches, Director of the Guimet Museum, praised as follows: "It does not lack language or feeling, but rather, it is completely self-possessed and unrestrained. There is some influence from French geometers, but even more Chinese perception. It is not tethered to a fixed reality, and it is very circumspect of the worship of the senses ... with regard to time, it captures a twinkling of eternity; with regard to space, it is nearly infinite; with regard to action, it is a gentle breeze, it is music, it is stillness."
Brilliance on Paper Endowed with Daoist Codes and Buddhist Allegories
After the 1960s, Tang Haiwen began to focus on works on paper. In addition to ink, he used watercolour, gouache, acrylic, and other paints that he found preferable for expressing Eastern characteristics. Untitled (no. 519) is bright, brilliant, and richly composed, an appreciation of life's joys shared by artist and audience; in contrast, Untitled (Lot 520), Untitled (Lot 521), and Untitled (Lot 522) explore the depths of tranquillity. These abstract landscapes composed of lines and symbols are suffused with the profound contemplation of Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, as described by Claude Fournet, the former director of the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum of Nice: "His paintings are all freehand sketches of landscapes; he needs only one line, one colour to reveal nature. This style comes from a heritage of more than two thousand years of Daoist painting methods." In style and character, the paintings of T'ang Haywen are like dreams and poems, reflecting the artist's own sense of borderless transcendence and unity. In today's restless and clamorous world, these paintings seem particularly distinctive and pure.
The post-war wave of Chinese artists moving to France produced the masters Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-Chun, and Wu Guanzhong, as well as several other outstanding artists whose works are also worthy of exploration. Tang Haiwen’s individual approach to abstract art fully exploited the advantages of the Eastern ink-on-paper style, he also applied these ideas to his work in oils. These aspects of his artistry are exemplified by the five Tang Haiwen works in this season.
L’aube: the Ink-inspired Oil
Tang Haiwen 's life style is subtle, but his ability and insight earned him the friendship of personages such as the southern French aristocrat Gertrude Roquefort Villenueve, the Polish-French master Balthus de Rola, and Dominique Ponnau, the director of the École du Louvre. In the 1960s, Tang turned to abstraction and developed a more individualized style. A minority of Tang's works are oil paintings, and L’aube (Lot 518) is one of the very few such works of relatively large dimensions. The painting, which takes the hues of ink painting as its basis, consists of upper, middle, and lower horizontal spaces differentiated by subtle variances in colour. At first glance, it appears abstract and geometrical, but a closer look reveals a tranquil landscape of mountains and water. It is a lyrical and abstruse concept which Jean-Paul Desroches, Director of the Guimet Museum, praised as follows: "It does not lack language or feeling, but rather, it is completely self-possessed and unrestrained. There is some influence from French geometers, but even more Chinese perception. It is not tethered to a fixed reality, and it is very circumspect of the worship of the senses ... with regard to time, it captures a twinkling of eternity; with regard to space, it is nearly infinite; with regard to action, it is a gentle breeze, it is music, it is stillness."
Brilliance on Paper Endowed with Daoist Codes and Buddhist Allegories
After the 1960s, Tang Haiwen began to focus on works on paper. In addition to ink, he used watercolour, gouache, acrylic, and other paints that he found preferable for expressing Eastern characteristics. Untitled (no. 519) is bright, brilliant, and richly composed, an appreciation of life's joys shared by artist and audience; in contrast, Untitled (Lot 520), Untitled (Lot 521), and Untitled (Lot 522) explore the depths of tranquillity. These abstract landscapes composed of lines and symbols are suffused with the profound contemplation of Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, as described by Claude Fournet, the former director of the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum of Nice: "His paintings are all freehand sketches of landscapes; he needs only one line, one colour to reveal nature. This style comes from a heritage of more than two thousand years of Daoist painting methods." In style and character, the paintings of T'ang Haywen are like dreams and poems, reflecting the artist's own sense of borderless transcendence and unity. In today's restless and clamorous world, these paintings seem particularly distinctive and pure.