Wang Guangle

signed and titled in Chinese and dated 071030 on the reverse

aye Gallery, Beijing
Acquired by the present owner from the above 

China, Beijing, aye Gallery, Wang Guangle: Coffin Paint, 30 November 2007 - 30 January 2008, p.63

This work is generally in good condition. There are some minor spots of stain on the lower left quadrant, only visible upon close inspection. Under Ultraviolet light, there is no sign of restoration.
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The Coffin Paint series originated in the custom among elderly people in the artist’s hometown of painting their coffins every year in preparation of their deaths. Wang Guangle lays a canvas flat and then applies layers of paint to it, waiting after each application. Time is thus encoded in the layers. 071030 is a remarkable work in the Coffin Paint series, with its characteristic near-monochrome palette. The rendition of light in 071030 recalls Wang’s earlier Afternoon series, while the subtle chromatic transitions are to be found also in his minimalist Untitled series begun in the same year. An important distillation of Wang Guangle’s years-long practice, 071030 is without a doubt a milestone in his career and of immense art-historical value. Wang Guangle’s works are crystallisations of time and the manifestations of the artist’s mental universe. After achieving widespread renown with his 2000 Afternoon, Wang Guangle began his Terrazzo series. In 2004, he abandoned figuration in favour of conceptual abstraction to focus on conceptualisation and process, which he distills into his abstract paintings.