趙無極

Executed circa 1950.

法國私人收藏
巴黎納瓦拉畫廊
現藏者購自上述來源

This work is overall in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. Under UV light, there are a couple of small intermittent spots of retouching along the edges of the work and one in the upper right part of the canvas near the mountain.
"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."

「我一心只想著每天要找出一個題材：一艘船、兩艘船、三艘船…畫畫變成了組合和佈局的問題，我想找出一種變化、創造一種氣氛、表現出眼前的這一瞬。 」
趙無極（〈趙無極自傳〉）

船是趙無極早期作品中多次出現的主題。1948年4月，趙無極登上法國郵輪安德烈·勒鵬號（Andre Lebon），趙氏於國立杭州藝術專科學校的老師林風眠，亦曾登此郵輪出航。經過36天的航程後，他終於抵達世界藝術首都巴黎。趙氏曾遠渡重洋出遊，1951及1952年間亦曾漫遊意大利及西班牙，遠遊的回憶使趙氏於1950年代創作多件以船舶為主題的作品。是次上拍作品《船》正象徵趙氏離鄉別井、探索新世界的歷程。畫中墨黑線條互相交織，細膩如繡線，從中可窺見數艘船隻航行海上，背景遠處則有起伏的群山。藝術家以獨特手法，運用線條與色彩的轉變，為構圖營造空間感與深度，而非如西方傳統般，透過刻劃光影營造三維立體感。他亦運用了另一特別作畫手法，畫中不同景物彼此交錯、互相重疊，此高超技藝展現趙氏的創新精神。畫中景物比例並不寫實，使畫作別具彷如童話般的夢幻氣息，當中以船隻與天上黃色滿月之間的比例尤為別緻。趙氏把物件外形予以簡化，以突顯其真實本質，然而並沒有因此減退觀者對畫作的理解與情趣。藝術家對景物之觀察並非固定於一處，而是隨著他的步伐與眼神而逡巡，再將不同立足點上所見之景，集平視、俯視、仰視等不同角度融匯而成，進而使空間得以重構。趙氏擅於營造空間，原本有限的畫面，在他筆下顯得遼闊。如同法國藝評家儒弗魯瓦（Alain Jouffroy）所言：「趙無極的作品清晰地反映了中國人看宇宙萬物的觀點，畫境遙遠而朦朧，反映了冥想的精神，而非冥想中的具體事物。」（〈巴黎藝術雜誌〉）