Lalan (Xie Jinglan)

Executed circa 1960s.

Private European Collection

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of white and brownish accretions across the surface of the painting, particularly a brown accretion 7 cm from the right edge and 24 cm from the top edge of the work, presumably inherent to the artist's working method. There is no evidence of restoration under UV.
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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."

Dance with Words - Blue and Red by Lalan

The connection between painting and Lalan (Xie Jinglan) can be traced to the latter's teens. At age fifteen, she met Zao Wou-Ki. That moment also marked her destiny with painting: not only was she familiar with Zao's paintings, she also was influenced by older peers such as Lin Fengmian. WhenZao she moved to France in 1948, they were welcomed into artistic circles there. As a charming Chinese woman, Lalan filled the shoes as Zao's publicist and diplomatic attaché. During the process she came into direct contact with and was influenced and inspired by such artistic figures and thinkers as Sam Francis, Viera de Silva, Pierre Soulages, Henri Michaux and Eugène Ionesco.

Lyrical abstraction was fashionable in postwar Paris. A painting style that stems directly from the artists' own creative impulse, with no rules in composition except advocacy of free expression, lyrical abstraction is diametrically opposite to the Western mainstream in the creative order from concept to execution, aesthetics of geometry, or the idea of suppressing oneself. In other words, lyrical abstraction's creative process is heavily dependent on improvisatory rhythm and speed, movement and gestures. For Lalan, who entered Hangzhou's National Academy of Fine Arts as a music student from a young age, it was a perfect entry point, as she once wrote: "The gesture of painting emanates from sounds and gestures inherent in the human body." Endowed with a great gift and nurtured since childhood, Lalan was first and foremost a highly skilled musician. When she applied her talent in the creation of abstract paintings she did it with great ease, just like a fish in water. Lalan never prepared sketches before painting; she would begin right on the canvas, creating works similar in spirit to wild horses free of reins. But in order to realize her full potential, Lalan wanted to absorb a lot more.  Therefore, she returned to the roots of China, searching for inspiration from oracle bones (Jiaguwen) as well as inscriptions and stone etchings from the Qin and Han dynasties.

The legendary Chinese written script that shook Nature and the spirits is like a fuse waiting to be ignited. When lit, it generates a veritable explosion that resounds far and wide. When we view Lalan's works from the 1950s and 1960s, it is hard to imagine the creator was a young woman whose demeanor was marked by gentle and delicate restraint.

Raging flames, Seething waves

The two works on offer, Blue (Lot 523) and Red (Lot 522), are like two blossoms of the same plant. Together they represent Lalan's output of that era. Dominated by shades of blue in the composition, dancing white lines in Blue are akin to roaring waves in the ocean. The black lines that appear in their midst are sometimes hidden and sometimes visible. They could be construed as part of the flow or another energy source juxtaposed therein. Looking at the work as a whole, the dancelike shapes are suggestive of cursive script as well as ancient Chinese pictographs. They engage in dialogue with the swirling waves, nevertheless determining their own destiny. Women are like water, but water is not always supple and malleable. The power captured in Blue is so deep and strong, many male painters could only wish to master it.

Red represents surging power, with its bright canvas at first glance appearing to be solid red. But after our eyes adjust, we find textures and layers of colours fusing together like burning flames at close range. The canvas might appear fiery at first glance. Yet after some close scrutiny, we detect many gradations: the glowing red hue pays tribute to the emblematic shade of China red, although it is unclear whether the painter intended this association. Some Chinese characters appear at the centre of the canvas: they are elongated in shape and razor-sharp, capable of emitting waves of electricity. Lalan's artistic power is fully unleashed here, and what the composition captures is that moment of the utmost strength.

The daring colours applied in thick layers of paint attest to Lalan's energetic state of mind. The contrast of deep blue and glaring red is akin to the two sides representing her transformative power. Lalan's early works laid bare her eagerness and daring soul; they stand totally opposite to attributes of reason and grace that distinguished other female painters from both East and West. By the 1970s and early 1980s, Lalan delved into tranquil landscapes far removed from the mundane world. But the last two decades preceding her death saw her return to powerful abstract paintings. From abstract to  representational, then reverting to abstract, Lalan was a muse who has completed a full artistic cycle, ultimately reaching the sublime. All along, she could not resist her love for Chinese characters, which constitute a recurring motif amidst those spirited dances captured on canvas.