Chu Teh-Chun (Zhu Dequn)

signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 04; signed in Pinyin, titled and dated 2004 on the reverse; Marlborough Gallery, New York label affixed to the stretcher on the reverse

New York, Marlborough Gallery
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Shanghai, Shanghai Art Museum, Chu Teh-Chun: Recent Works, 12 October - 10 November, 2005, pp. 112 - 113
New York, Marlborough Gallery, Chu Teh-Chun: Paintings, 17 May - 17 June, 2006, p. 31
Tokyo, The Ueno Royal Museum, Solo Exhibition of Chu Teh-Chun, 23 June - 10 July, 2007, p. 364
Taipei, National Museum of History, Chu The-Chun 88 Retrospective, 19 September – 23 November, 2008, p. 207

Pierre-Jean Rémy, Chu Teh-Chun, Éditions de la Différence, Paris, 2006, p.283

This work is in very good condition overall. Close inspection reveals a very minor paint loss near the bottom, 30 cm towards the left edge. There is light wear to the left and right bottom corners. There are several minor white accretions along the right edge. There is no evidence of restoration under UV light.
"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."

Cirque d’émeraude by Chu Teh-Chun
The gardens south of the Yangtze River are always in the heart; The beauty of the green spring is more than can be drawn

“Whether in villages or counties, it is better to construct gardens in remote areas. One should plant and trim trees to make the garden look well-proportioned. The scenery should suit the local environment, for example, by planting flowers and trees in ravines.” At the entrance of the garden, there should be three positive symbols, plum blossoms, bamboo and rocks, to make the garden look serene and elegant. Fences should be amid the plants, and buildings should be under trees. From a pavilion on top of a hill, you can overlook the whole garden. In a bamboo forest, you feel calm and engrossed. High pillars and big windows suggest broad-mindedness; they allow you to appreciate the beauty of four seasons. Plane trees should cover the whole garden. Locust trees should be in the middle of courtyards. Willow trees should line up the river banks. Plum blossoms should surround buildings. It is a long tradition in architecture to build houses inside bamboo forests. You can appreciate the green in continuous mountains screens. Although everything is manmade, it looks completely natural. If a round window is used to frame scenery outside, it looks like the landscape paintings of Li Zhaodao. Cutting up stones to form hills produces varying heights, like the ink paintings of Huang Gongwang.”

The Craft of Gardens was written by the garden architect Ji Cheng in 1631 during the late Ming Dynasty, and it was inscribed in 1635. As the first monograph on garden architecture in Chinese history, it was a systematic summary of Ji Cheng’s experience in building gardens. The book also describes his deep reflections on life after travelling and viewing distinctive scenery in different areas. It is a clear refection of the observation of nature’s extraordinary creations by Chinese intellectuals.

It is worth noting that the idea of creating a realm of fairies on earth by integrating rivers, mountains, old trees and rare stones is usually ascribed to Li Cheng, Huang Gongwang and other celebrated literati painters in the late Ming Dynasty. This means that there are rich historical and cultural links between garden architecture and painting.

Painting regardless of age; building an awakening between nature and man

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, daily life and even arts and literature have had major effects on garden architecture tradition, especially in the regions south of the Yangtze River. For Chu Teh-Chun, an artist of Chinese origin who was born in Jiangsu and studied in Hangzhou, this was nothing strange. The tradition was in his artistic blood wherever he was. It was very important to him when he was trying to understand the lives of the myriad things and was searching for harmony in nature. It was also the key connecting Western abstract paintings with Chinese paintings. There was no form, but from this lack of images we find an aesthetic harmony.

Even if it had been moved to a different country, Chinese painting imitated an external nature. It was an aesthetic moving human thought; a result of a painter's internal dialogue. This painting tradition did not fade, but became clearer and deeper with time, settling in the most harmonious state between technique, the object and the spirit of creation. As Chu Teh-Chun himself said, “Compared to young people, older people have richer spiritual resources – a long life experience and memories. Since the 1980s, I have been painting and wandering in my memories.” In the 21st century, after Chu Teh-Chun turned 80, he was still painting and he has not stopped for a single day. His works successfully call upon light, forms and rhythms by integrating lines and colours. Chu Teh-Chun is therefore regarded as the best interpreter and practitioner of Eastern spiritual aesthetics in contemporary art.

Many domestic and foreign art commentators have offered their opinions. The French art critic Raoul-Jean Moulin had an accurate understanding of Chu Teh-Chun’s later paintings. He said, “To Chu Teh-Chun, landscape painting is not a simple translation of beautiful scenes. He sees them as a natural organism, in which man is only an assembler. He tries to interpret in his paintings the organism’s pulse, blood pressure and any changes that might take place in it. ... His principle skill is based on the traditional Chinese philosophy of combining poetry, calligraphy and painting. In his hands, the brush had to find the rhythm of Chinese calligraphy and give the colours rhythm. The silent, dim and dark colour gradations give off glittering sparks through the adjustment of transparent light.”

Light appears from within, the painting comes to life

Cirque d’émeraude (Lot 122), which Chu Teh-Chun painted in 2004, is undoubtedly a meticulously crafted work. In Chu Teh-Chun's mind it is the best illustration of a flourishing garden south of the Yangtze. Observers will first catch sight of the blob of light yellow in the middle of the painting. It looks like a low house surrounded by mountains, and it can also be read as Chu Teh-Chun's internal inspiration. It is like the light from the sun rising behind the mountains, bringing the colours of all things into view. The observers’ eyes are gradually surrounded and touched by the subtle changes of nature. One feels the warmth of the brilliance of life.

The light white colour moving gradually higher and further into the distance is like an ethereal mist, gently shrouding the mountain tops. It increases the feeling of gazing up at the mountains. Occupying the largest part of the canvas is a large U-shaped green section, which is like the two hands of the earth, surrounding its people. We get a full sense of Mother Earth's kind warmth in providing for all things. The freely turning lines of calligraphy seem to symbolize towering trees piercing through the woven greenery, so the painting does not appear too light or too heavy. They also provide a visual balance.

This piece of work also reminds us of the famous painting kept in the Palace Museum in Taipei, Nighttime Riverside Landscape by Dong Yuan, from the Five Dynasties period. Through a meticulous and detailed use of the brush, shading has been added layer by layer, presenting the vast and elegant scenery and the charm of the southern Yangtze River region. Those depicted in the painting have forgotten that they have to return, and outside observers are able to share the joy of their journey. Numerous intellectuals over thousands of years have looked for a fairyland on earth, The Peach Blossom Garden, and this painting to a certain extent satisfies that desire.

Chu Teh-Chun is like a great master building a garden with the brush in his hand. He is not pursuing verisimilitude which would have been dull, and neither does he want to merely express his elusive personal feelings by breaking away from the objective nature. By combining a depiction of life with an expression of emotions, he presents not only an image but also a spirit. Looking from a distance, the interweaving of points, lines and planes is like the outline of a lively gully. But if you look closely, you can clearly see a striking landscape with trees and buildings and a contrast between bright and dark. You can sense the pure and fresh feeling from the clear mountain spring and taste the thick and mellow flavour of vintage wine. Perhaps “The gardens south of the Yangtze River are always in the heart. The beauty of the green spring is more than can be drawn” is the best footnote for Cirque d’émeraude.