Zao Wou-Ki (Zhao Wuji)

signed in Chinese and Pinyin; signed in Pinyin, titled and dated 6.1.64 on the reverse; Kootz Gallery, New York label affixed to the stretcher on the reverse

Kootz Gallery, New York
Galeria Diprove, Lisbon
European Bank
Acquired by the present owner from the above

New York, Kootz Gallery
Lisbon, Galeria Diprove, Zao Wou-Ki, 1974

This work is in good condition. There is evidence of light craquelure in two areas, one 12 cm in length at the centre of the canvas, about 10 cm towards the top; another one 8 cm in length near the centre, 20 cm towards the top. There is a small paint loss 2mm in length and light craquelure on the right edge, about 30 cm to the top. There is minor wear to both of the upper corners. Close inspection reveals a slight dent near the upper right corner. There is also a 2-cm white accretion near the upper left corner, 10 cm to the top and 10 cm to the left edge. No evidence of restoration under UV light.
"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."

Zao Wu-Ki's 1960s Masterpiece
Soaring high, delving deep: Zao Wou-Ki’s commanding and powerful 06.01.64


In 1958, Zao Wou-Ki completed his tour around America, during which he visited many museums and galleries in New York. The visual impact, directness and vibrant energy in large-format paintings by American artists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Bruce Nauman offered powerful stimulus for Zao’s own artistic creations. Upon returning from the journey, Zao Wou-Ki began a process of transformations. Words and symbols which used to be featured in his paintings during the “Oracle Bone Period” began to disappear, and specific directions from representational images were abandoned. He also stopped naming his paintings. Using lines and colours, the artist expressed his thoughts inspired by observations of nature, as well as his personal emotions. This marked another important milestone in his creative journey and the commencement of his “Abstract Expressionist Period”, in which many expansive, majestic masterpieces were produced. From late 1950s to early 1960s, Zao Wou-Ki reached a new peak of creative maturity. “Since the past few years, I have been able to paint as I wish, because there aren’t obstacles on a technical level any longer… Not only do I fill the canvas, but also I try to give it life, to completely immerse myself into the picture. I want to convey the sense of movement – be it intricately tender, or be it swift and soaring. For me, fervor and clamor are far more attractive than quietness and silence…starting from feelings, I entered the painting of space.” he said.

World Treasures

His paintings from this period were widely acclaimed by art critics in China and overseas as well as his contemporaries. Alfred Manessier, for instance, was particularly fond of Zao’s works from the 1960s, and said that “through Zao Wou-Ki, somehow Fan Kuan’s brushstrokes are connected to Rembrandt’s, whilst Cézanne, Mi Fu and Ni Zan share the same brilliance. Wou-Ki is faithful, faithful to every person’s soul. This is how he became an extraordinary painter admired universally. I like him and praise him!” Paintings from this period are often among the prized collections of major international museums, such as 04.05.64 held at the Pompidou Centre in France and 06.01.68 at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

In the auction market, Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings from the 1960s are also highly sought after. In 2010, 10.1.68 was sold for HK$ 68,980,000, a new record of Zao Wou-Ki at the time. Last year in the 40^th anniversary evening sale in Hong Kong, 3.4.60-1.2.69was sold for HK$ 70,680,000, after an intense bidding battle between collectors from all over the world. These results reflect the acknowledgement, both from the academia and the market, of these paintings as extraordinary treasures of the world.

A glimmering display of strength and vigor with limitless connotations

From 1959 to 1960, Zao Wou-Ki delved even more deeply into the study of space and composition, striving for further breakthrough. With a composition boldly employing a mixture of horizontal, vertical and diagonal axes, varied combinations of fascinating rhythms were constructed, offering many nuanced points of interests. In 1960, his creations began to exhibit his special "three section composition”. He divided the canvas into three horizontal sections. He used bright colours in the middle and darker colours in the top and bottom sections. It was as if the centre was endlessly squeezing and contracting, and giving off new life. The 06.01.64 up for auction this time (Lot 104) is a masterpiece, representative of Zao’s three section composition in the 1960s. In fact, this form of composition has a long history in China. In ancient Chinese Buddhist statues, craftsmen divided the image into three sections, symbolising and linking the special concepts of heaven, earth and man, and the past life, this life and the afterlife.

This structure of time and space reflects the Chinese people's view of the world. In this masterpiece, Zao transformed this abstract concept, to create an exciting and moving piece. It could perhaps also be viewed with reference to a Chinese landscape painting composition. In Sanyu’s 1930s masterpiece Fruits, the Chinese Modernist master also employed a bold composition akin to Zao’s 06.01.64. The two artists had each forged a distinctive artistic path that accentuated their personal style, reinventing their inheritance of Chinese aesthetics traditions through pioneering spirits and philosophical ideas.

The infinite strength, a frenzied dance depicting life

In 06.01.64, Zao used a red ocher and Burgundy red of the same brightness, with horizontal strokes for the base coat. The strokes are powerful, and along with the feeling of being accomplished in one go is a sense of speed, which cannot be overlooked. In the middle section there are thick white, pinky-orange and yellow colours, which brighten up the work as a whole. The canvas records the progression of Zao's action, from the heart to the shoulders to the wrist and then to the tip of the brush. The centre of the painting is the focus, embodying the unique qualities and exceptional achievements of Chinese calligraphy. Brush strokes vary in intensities and end in sharp flicks. Vibrant lines are in fierce combat, sparking off shining brilliance. Such feverous confrontation seems to reveal the pulse of the universe, like two tectonic plates colliding and pushing against each other, sending tremendous shockwave throughout the space whilst generating boundless tension. Through the manipulating of the interwoven realistic and abstract senses of space, the artist presented a powerful and fascinating new domain. As described by Daniel Marchesseau, former director of Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, “Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings possess a mystical colour, a sense of mystery that is completely natural and not in the least bit contrived, evident from the myriad conflicts, nuanced deviations and nature of relativity depicted on the canvas, from which boundless imageries are born, and become parts of a macro universe portrayed in his artwork.”

The viewer can picture the state of complete immersion when Zao created this work, never a fleeting moment of hesitation and stagnation, as if the artist had become one with the universe. In particular, in 06.01.64, the dancing lines in the centre are entangled in a revolving and resilient posture, reminiscent of the emotional ten minute revolving solo dance of the late Lo Man-fei in Elegy. The dancer, unperturbed, revolves again and again, like an endless sign, revealing the beauty of struggle and conflict, an intense degree of resilience in life and perfect control. French poet Henri Michaux once commented, “refined and settled, an unprovoked sudden halt, leaping beyond the physical forms, transforming into lines, a condensed call, the living continues to clamor.” Expansive and majestic, this stunning masterpiece has won over those who had the opportunity to view it.

Shi Tao once said, "People think that calligraphy and painting have to describe or depict forms. In fact, the brush should make objects stand out from the chaos." Zao here is like an experienced dancer. His brush strikes a perfect balance between the tough and the gentle, between jumping and pulsating and stopping suddenly, and between strong thick lines and the dots of a dragonfly dipping on the water. The curving ups and downs of the lines seem to contain the endless "rising, falling, revolving and turning" in life. This work is moving perhaps because what Zao depicts, amid the abstract chaos, is real life.