Lot 577
  • 577

DING YI | Appearance of Crosses 2015-B23

Estimate
500,000 - 800,000 HKD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Ding Yi
  • Appearance of Crosses 2015-B23
  • mixed media on basswood
  • 90 by 60 cm; 35½ by 23⅝ in. 
signed and titled in Chinese and dated 2015 on the reverse

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. Minor protrusions of paint medium are observed throughout the work. These protruding elements are stable and coincide with artist's chosen medium and method of execution. Unframed.
"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

THIS WORK HAS BEEN GENEROUSLY DONATED BY THE ARTIST

Born in Shanghai, Ding Yi worked at a printing factory before graduating from the Shanghai School of Fine Arts and Crafts in 1983. His iconic, instantly recognizable and internationally acclaimed Appearance of Crosses series began while he was still a student. By applying a methodology that required a painstaking amount of precision, calculation and technical skill, Ding espoused a rational approach to painting and composition that was startlingly pivotal. In Ding's own words, describing the series: "The creation of the crosses series began in 1988, a period in which Chinese contemporary art experienced the same transition as the whole of China. Both were withstanding the shock from and the effect of Western culture on traditional Chinese thinking. I had to free myself from traditional cultural burden and the initial modern painterly impact of the West. Back to the basics and start from scratch, I remember making my first art work out of the primary colour of red, yellow and blue. Choosing crosses was exactly because of its broad symbolism. In my career, crosses have been used to denote the precise position during every colouring process. I had to filter all practicality, to allow a painting to show her intrinsic form as its spirit is like." Ding's international breakthrough came early when his cross paintings were shown at the Venice Biennale in 1993; for the past 30 years the artist has relentlessly and exclusively honed his technique and aesthetic into one of the most distinctively austere yet elegant visual vocabularies in contemporary Chinese art. The present work was created in 2015, a particularly important year in which the artist had a solo exhibition at the Long Museum West Bund.