- 27
Liu Kuo-Sung (Liu Guosong)
Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 RMB
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Description
- Liu Kuo-Sung (Liu Guosong)
- Sounds of Nature
- ink, colour and acrylic on paper
signed and dated 2005 in Chinese, and marked with one seal of the artist, framed
Provenance
Private Asian Collection
Exhibited
Taiwan, Miaoli County, organized by the International Culture and Tourism Bureau, Mind – Reflection – Transformation—Liu Guosong, 2010, p .39
Literature
Universe in the Mind: 60 Years of Painting by Liu Guosong, Hubei People's Publishing House, Wuhan, China, 2009, p. 126
Xiao Qiongrui, The Spirit of Ink: A Biography of Liu Guosong, Vista Publishing, Taipei, Taiwan, 2011, p. 231
Han Baode, Beauty and Existence: About Art by Han Baode, Art Touch, Taiwan, 2011, p. 33
Xiao Qiongrui, The Spirit of Ink: A Biography of Liu Guosong, Vista Publishing, Taipei, Taiwan, 2011, p. 231
Han Baode, Beauty and Existence: About Art by Han Baode, Art Touch, Taiwan, 2011, p. 33
Condition
Overall in good condition
"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
Acclaimed as the “father and pioneer of modern ink painting”, Liu Guosong has devoted his artistic practice to the experimentation of new techniques and media in painting for nearly seven decades. Liu Kuo-sung’s textured paper surfaces and vivid-colour compositions of abstract landscapes are one of the most significant contributions to ink painting in the 20th century.
Cascade (Lot 26) is a distinctive example of Liu Guosong’s synthesis of the essence of a traditional Chinese landscape and abstract expressionism. Trained in the styles of both Chinese and Western art, Liu abandoned his use of media such as oil and plaster, in favour of ink and brush, after seeing an exhibition of Chinese masterpieces and paintings from the Palace Museum in 1962. Thereupon he combined calligraphic brushstrokes with coarse layered paper, on which he would strip off layers of fibre to create a natural wrinkled texture reminiscent of cun (textured) brushstrokes. This modern breakthrough in ink painting using collage and emphasising the bold, abstract, poetic landscape forms represent the early stages of his painting style that has earned Liu Guosong a place in numerous international exhibitions and prestigious collections.
Born in Anhui province, Liu arrived in Taiwan in 1949 and majored in studio art at the National Taiwan Normal University, where he immersed himself in the philosophy and practice of the modern art movement in Europe and the U.S. In 1956, with the encouragement of Professor Liao Jichun, he established the Fifth Moon Group, an avant-garde association of Taiwan-based artists focused on the modernisation of Chinese painting. In the early 1960s, Liu came to the pivotal realisation that the aim of traditional Chinese literati painting was the same as that of the modern Abstract Expressionism art movement: to realise self-expression through spontaneous action and interpretation. As he refined his work towards abstract painting, Liu wrote “In fact, painting is not the ‘representation of nature’, its purpose is not to explain what one depicts…As cultural trends move ahead, Cubism and Fauvism are already outdated, and abstract painting is the trend; I embrace this trend, fumbling about, exerting great effort and devoting myself, hoping to find the true meaning of life.”[1]
A mature evolution of Liu Guosong’s abstract painting style is evident in the present work Sounds of Nature (Lot 27), which achieves a visual flatness that breaks the rules of realistic painting to reveal space and light. True to the Liu Guosong painting style, the element of landscape and reference to nature is fairly obvious to a viewer; a horizon is formed from the horizontal textured lines of Liu Guosong fibre paper—lines that flow fluidly throughout the image as if dancing to the sounds of nature. Using less absorbent paper, the artist steeps the material in ink and colour to produce this lustrous image. This present work is reminiscent of the Jiuzhaigou series which the artist started in 2001, wherein the blue and green landscape accented with gold and yellow are like beams of sunshine reflecting off the valley’s watery surface. Sounds of Nature is an excellent example of the timeless serenity and innovation of abstract Chinese landscapes that set apart the paintings by Liu Guosong.
Cascade (Lot 26) is a distinctive example of Liu Guosong’s synthesis of the essence of a traditional Chinese landscape and abstract expressionism. Trained in the styles of both Chinese and Western art, Liu abandoned his use of media such as oil and plaster, in favour of ink and brush, after seeing an exhibition of Chinese masterpieces and paintings from the Palace Museum in 1962. Thereupon he combined calligraphic brushstrokes with coarse layered paper, on which he would strip off layers of fibre to create a natural wrinkled texture reminiscent of cun (textured) brushstrokes. This modern breakthrough in ink painting using collage and emphasising the bold, abstract, poetic landscape forms represent the early stages of his painting style that has earned Liu Guosong a place in numerous international exhibitions and prestigious collections.
Born in Anhui province, Liu arrived in Taiwan in 1949 and majored in studio art at the National Taiwan Normal University, where he immersed himself in the philosophy and practice of the modern art movement in Europe and the U.S. In 1956, with the encouragement of Professor Liao Jichun, he established the Fifth Moon Group, an avant-garde association of Taiwan-based artists focused on the modernisation of Chinese painting. In the early 1960s, Liu came to the pivotal realisation that the aim of traditional Chinese literati painting was the same as that of the modern Abstract Expressionism art movement: to realise self-expression through spontaneous action and interpretation. As he refined his work towards abstract painting, Liu wrote “In fact, painting is not the ‘representation of nature’, its purpose is not to explain what one depicts…As cultural trends move ahead, Cubism and Fauvism are already outdated, and abstract painting is the trend; I embrace this trend, fumbling about, exerting great effort and devoting myself, hoping to find the true meaning of life.”[1]
A mature evolution of Liu Guosong’s abstract painting style is evident in the present work Sounds of Nature (Lot 27), which achieves a visual flatness that breaks the rules of realistic painting to reveal space and light. True to the Liu Guosong painting style, the element of landscape and reference to nature is fairly obvious to a viewer; a horizon is formed from the horizontal textured lines of Liu Guosong fibre paper—lines that flow fluidly throughout the image as if dancing to the sounds of nature. Using less absorbent paper, the artist steeps the material in ink and colour to produce this lustrous image. This present work is reminiscent of the Jiuzhaigou series which the artist started in 2001, wherein the blue and green landscape accented with gold and yellow are like beams of sunshine reflecting off the valley’s watery surface. Sounds of Nature is an excellent example of the timeless serenity and innovation of abstract Chinese landscapes that set apart the paintings by Liu Guosong.
[1] Liu Guosong, “Talks on Art,” Art and Literature Creation 65, September 1956, p. 8