"Art does not stem from studying, but from practice. And practice stems from life and nature."
Renowned sculptor Ju Ming passed away earlier this year at the age of 85, leaving behind a legendary legacy of relentless creativity spanning seven decades. Among his most notable works is the "Taichi Series", which has been widely collected by museums and institutions around the world, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Bank of China Tower Plaza in Hong Kong, the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan, the University of Kansas in the United States, the National Gallery Singapore, and the Ju Ming Museum in Taipei. In 1976, Ju Ming held his first solo exhibition at the Taipei History Museum, which was a tremendous success. In 1977, he held his first overseas exhibition at the Tokyo Central Museum of Art, showcasing 28 wooden sculptures titled "Taichi", which received high praise. Since then, Ju Ming's "Taichi Series" has made its way into the world, with large-scale solo exhibitions held in the 1980s at venues such as the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the National Museum of History in Taipei, and the Max Hutchinson Gallery in New York, creating a widespread and profound impact. Executed in 1976, Taichi: Shuttling Maiden is one of earliest wood sculptures Ju Ming created for the "Taichi Series", and one of the largest works in that year in terms of size. The upcoming fall sale presents a rare opportunity for art enthusiasts to collect this marvelous piece from the legendary virtuoso.
In the 1970s, Ju Ming first used wood as the medium for his "Taichi Series", among which the Taichi: Shuttling Maiden represents a classic example from this series. The early works in the series were single pieces, each depicting the dynamic movements of a single figure, showcasing the power and charm of Taichi. Choosing wood as the medium to express the "Taichi Series" was a profound artistic reflection, as it achieved a high degree of unity between form and theme. The present lot is created from raw wood, preserves the natural texture, grain, branches, and marks, perfectly showcasing the versatility of dynamic energy while resonating with the natural environment.
Ju Ming once said, "At the simplest level, Taichi imitates three elements of nature: animals, plants, and natural phenomena. These natural elements remain unchanged and exist in a pure natural environment, untouched by human artifice, falsehood, or affectation. However, humans have become increasingly estranged from nature to the point where they can be considered the only unnatural beings in the natural world. Through Taichi, we can imitate nature and rediscover our roots, experiencing the posture that humans should have in nature." Ju Ming's philosophy of integrating ourselves with nature through Taichi is precisely embodied in his sculptures, where movement and stillness blend, emptiness and solidity resonate, conveying the cultural essence of traditional Chinese "harmony between heaven and man".
Although Shuttling Maiden is not the most powerful move in the thirteen forms of Taichi, its strength is inexhaustible, with its techniques ever-changing, appearing as light as drifting clouds and spinning like stars. In the interweaving of emptiness and solidness, it emanates the surging energy, the Chi, of Taichi. Ju Ming’s Taichi: Shuttling Maiden invites viewers to observe in stillness and contemplate in motion, transforming the body of a Taichi practitioner into a microcosm and creating an inner space of flowing energy through the alternating movement of the hands. The abstract and figurative rhythmic movement of the body and hands corresponds to the operation of the universe, serving as the best evidence of the "integration of man and nature".
Ju Ming's "Taichi Series" bring together Eastern philosophical thoughts and incorporates elements of traditional Chinese aesthetics. The master abandoned elaborate realistic sculpting techniques and instead adopted a concise and abstract form of movement to display a sense of weight and speed in the void, conveying a state of self-oblivion. This series of sculptures have ushered in a new era of modern sculpture, with a magnum opus of Taichi: Shuttling Maiden, which features a rigidity-flexibility-merged movement underscoring the harmonious beauty of Taichi.
「天人合一藝術不是源於學習，而是源於實踐。而實踐源於生活、源於自然。」
一代雕塑大師朱銘於今年初與世長辭，享壽85歲。回顧其七十年來創作不懈的傳奇人生，其中最受矚目的莫過於「太極系列」，廣受博物館和機構的珍藏，例如香港中文大學、香港中國銀行交易大樓廣場、日本雕刻之森博物館、美國堪薩斯大學、新加坡美術館以及台北朱銘美術館等，享譽國際。 1976年，朱銘首次在台北歷史博物館舉行個展，並獲得巨大的成功。1977年，他在東京中央美術館舉辦了首個海外個展，展出了28件名為「太極」的木雕作品，獲得極高評價。從那時起，朱銘的「太極系列」作品開始走向世界，在80年代相繼在香港藝術中心、台北歷史博物館、紐約漢查森藝廊等地舉辦大型個展，引起廣泛而深遠的迴響。創於1976年，《太極：玉女穿梭》是目前拍賣場上朱銘「太極系列」作品中創作年份最早的木雕之一，也是該年份「太極系列」作品中最龐大的木雕之一，如今亮相拍場，實屬難得的機會。
在七十年代創作「太極系列」，木雕是朱銘最早使用的媒材，《太極：玉女穿梭》便為箇中經典代表。初期的「太極系列」，都是單人單件的創作，從個體的肢體動態中展現太極的力量與氣韻。大師選擇木材作為表達太極系列的媒材，可說是把形式與主題高度統一的藝術深思。這件作品以原木為素材，保留了天然的紋理、質感、枝節和刻痕，完美地展現了動態能量的多變性，同時與大自然環境產生共鳴。
朱銘曾言：「從最粗淺的層次來說，太極拳模仿三個大自然的要素，動物、植物，與自然現象。這些自然要素從未改變，他們存在於單純的自然環境中，不人工、不虛偽、不造作。不過人卻和自然越來越疏離，甚至可以說是自然界裡唯一不自然的生物。我們透過太極模仿自然，可以重新追溯自己的根源，體驗人類在大自然中應有的姿態。」朱銘希望通過太極與自然相融，而這一理念正巧地體現在作品中，動與靜相融，虛與實相呼應，傳達出中國傳統的「天人合一」的文化精髓。太極拳十三式中的「玉女穿梭」雖非最強勁之招式，然其力道源源不絕，手法變幻莫測，宛如飄雲般輕盈，星辰般轉動。在虛實、剛柔相互交織之中，散發出洶湧澎湃的太極之「氣」。而朱銘所創作的《太極：玉女穿梭》以靜而觀、動而思的方式，將太極武者的身體視為一個微觀的宇宙，在雙手的輪替之中營造出氣流湧動的內在空間。身手之虛實律動與天地宇宙之運行相互呼應，無疑是「人與自然融合」的最佳實證。
朱銘的「太極系列」匯聚了東方哲學思想，融入了傳統中國美學元素。大師捨棄了繁瑣的寫實雕塑技巧，而是採用了簡潔抽象的運動形態，將重量感和速度感在虛空中展現，傳遞出一種忘我的心境。這一系列作品開啟了現代雕塑的新紀元，以《太極：玉女穿梭》這一剛柔並濟的太極招式為代表作，彰顯了太極和諧之美。