Gao Xingjian

signed GAO XINGJIAN and dated 2008
titled and dated on reverse

Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, New Works by Gao Xingjian 2007 - 2008, May - June 2008, p. 28

Kuo, Jason C., Chinese Ink Painting Now, Distributed Art Publishers, New York, USA; Timezone 8, Hong Kong, China, 2010, p. 74

Overall in very good condition. Framed: 87.5 x 85.5 cm; 34 1/2 x 33 5/8 in.
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As seen in the present lots Dream Mountain (LOT 510) and A Lonely Man (LOT 583), the dreamlike aura of Gao Xingjian's work explicitly draws upon his inner subconscious: "My dreams are often in black and white, therefore this is reflected in my paintings...in this spectral, amorphous mindscape, there is no clear sense of spatiality, the tones and colours are vague and barely perceptible, almost tones of black and white, the images are floating and unsettled: everything shifts and changes."¹

The solitary man depicted in A Lonely Man is a recurring motif in Gao's paintings. He can be interpreted to represent a traditional Chinese scholar, a Daoist priest, a Buddhist monk, or an amalgam of all three. As a symbol of solitude, the figure embodies the emotions of loneliness, peace, and contemplation. Gao has emphasized that he rarely paints actual figures, and instead tends to depict only shadows and silhouettes. The figure, and its relation to the work as a whole, echoes Gao's thoughts on aesthetics more broadly. In the words of the artist: "In the ambiguous space between figurative and abstract is concealed a big door: once that door is opened, an immeasurable, unfathomable depth is revealed."¹

¹Artist quotes in English from a discussion in London, November 2015
²New Works by Gao Xingjian 2007 - 2008, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, May - June 2008, p. 28