Chu Teh-Chun (Zhu Dequn)

signed in pinyin and Chinese and dated 92; signed in pinyin and Chinese, titled, dated 1992 and dedicated to Gilbert on the reverse   

Important Private Asian Collection

Chu Teh-Chun, Insian Gallery, Taipei, 2005, pp. 64-65, illustrated in colour

This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of very minor craquelure at the centre, 22 cm from the bottom edge of the work. There is a very slight paint loss, 9 cm from the bottom and 44 cm from the left edge of the painting. There is no evidence of restoration under UV.
"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."

Chu Teh-Chun moved to France in 1955 and became the first Chinese to be elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Steeped in classical Chinese poetry and calligraphy, he endows his abstract brushwork and lines with a subtle but unmistakable Eastern poetic flavour. He is especially appreciated for his magnanimous and musical expressionism and for his deeply-felt celebrations of life and nature. Wu Guanzhong once commented on the rhythmic variation of Chu Teh-Chun's lines that "the thick strings issue torrential downpours; the fine strings issue private whispers." The famous French critic Jean-Clarence Lambert praises Chu's imaginative works as "transcendental landscapes," superior to nature itself.

Maurice Panier, Director of Galerie Lengendre, Paris once commented that "Chu Teh-Chun does not express space in his paintings in the traditional manner; we can say he employs multiple spaces. In the midst of his curving, bending brushstrokes he interjects elements that produce forms, elements which are typically applied in thick pigments for the effect of small blocks of colour...his inspiration usually derives from landscapes, or some lines in a poem."