Ju Ming (Zhu Ming)

executed in 1999, this work is number 5 from an edition of 8

This work is consistent with the artist's chosen medium and working method. It is in our opinion that the work is in very 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.
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Geometric Simplicity: Looking beyond Appearance to Capture Essence

By pursuing his path of "forgetting", Ju Ming eventually achieved the highest literati ideal: the aesthetic of zhuo (literally, clumsiness or awkwardness, referring to a kind of rough simplicity). He valued the zhuo beauty of the tomb figurines of the Han Dynasty over the decorative sancai glazes of Tang Dynasty ceramics. This appreciation of simplicity is evident in Taichi Series: Maiden Working the Loom (Lot 620) and Taichi Series: Cloud Hands (Lot 618). Chinese appreciation of the zhuo aesthetic evolved over the course of several dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, zhuo implied an artful use of technique; in contrast, Ming Dynasty zhuo bore more resemblance to the rough simplicity of ancient times, and artful use of technique was considered as trite and commercial. Zhuo came to represent the beauty of simplicity and the pursuit of unaffected integrity. As Chang Tsong-Zung once said, "Ju Ming's strength lies in his ability to combine his artistic intent with the natural characteristics of his materials. He does not let clever techniques take the spotlight. The traditional Chinese aesthetic goal is unity of man and nature: the expression of the artist's creativity and the material's intrinsic beauty. When we appraise a sculpture, our eyes linger on the simple, gentle beauty of wood, the earthen feel of clay, or the cold resilience of stainless steel. Ju Ming's works preserve an appropriate distance between the wildness of nature and the refinement of technique, leaving room in between for imagination".

In the late 1990s, Ju Ming continued to simplify his Taichi sculptures. One highly representative sculpture from this period is Taichi Series: Arch (Lot 621). Created in 1999, Taichi Series: Arch constitutes an extension of Taichi's pushing hands and spinning kicks. For Ju Ming, Taichi Series: Arch completely casts off the cloak of Taichi postures in order to attain a fully imaginative expression. The same aesthetic of minimal geometry is evidence in Taichi Series: Turn Advance (Lot 619). Ju Ming's "forgetting," which allowed him to disregard form and cast aside realism while retaining rhythm and aura, fits perfectly with the words of Victoria Contag: "Chinese literati arts express the myriad changes of the visual world in a limited and ordered formal system. We recognise this system as the 'second layer of reality' of Confucian thought. The artist ruminates over their perceptions in order to detect the rule and the exception, then fully incorporates their personal experience before beginning to create". In this way, Ju Ming drew on his mature grasp of reality and his masterful understanding of Taichi in order to bring his Taichi series to new heights.

"If it is incomplete or adulterated, it should not be called beautiful", wrote the Warring States philosopher Xunzi in "On Music". Xunzi argued that the beauty of art comes from the two sources of "completion" and "purity". In this context, "purity" means discarding the bad and keeping the good; "completion" represents substance and fullness. The beauty of art is therefore derived from retaining only what is pure and seeking a unity of xu and shi: "emptiness" and "fullness". Ju Ming's sculptures achieve the purity wrought of "forgetting" and the "completion" of integrity and spirituality. The consummate artistic beauty of his sculptures attests that he did not blindly adapt a Western medium to create a translated Eastern sculptural practice. Instead, he launched an avant-garde renewal of the contemporary characteristics of Chinese literati arts.