Chu Teh-Chun (Zhu Dequn)

Collection of Wang Kung-Chi
Thence by descent to the present owner

Taipei, Zhongshan Hall, The Paintings of Chu Teh-Chun, December 1954
Taipei, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, China-Paris: Seven Chinese Painters Who Studied in France, 26 March – 26 June, 1988

This work is in overall good condition. There are minor abrasions along the edges and hairline craquelures in the thickly painted areas. There is no apparent inpainting under UV light examination.
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Rare Landscape Painting from the Pre-France Era

Chu Teh-Chun Baxianshan

On Lunar New Year’s Eve of 1949, Chu Teh-Chun rode upon the last steamboat from China to Taiwan, arriving at the Port of Keelung. In the beginning, the artist worked as a drawing instructor at the Taipei Institute of Architecture, and later, supported by endorsements to Taipei Normal University Art Department Director Huang Junpi made by state government dignitaries Zhang Daofan and Huang Shao-ku, Chu became an associate professor at the university. Although his stay was brief, his influence was highly significant in the cultivation of artists Liu Kuo-sung, Xiao Qing, Zhuang Zhe, among others in this new generation of young artists. In 1951, in conjunction with artists Li Chung-sheng and Chao Chun-Hsiang, Chu coordinated Taiwan’s first contemporary art exhibition, titled “Contemporary Independent Exhibition.” Then, under the invitation of Academia Historica curator and renowned art historian Luo Jialun, the artist completed the grand masterpieces of Portrait of Sun Yat-sen and Huanghuagang Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs. These accomplishments punctuated a thrilling period in the artist’s career. 

A Testament to the Artist’s Fruitful Years in Taiwan

A strong emphasis on sketching from nature was the trend at the National Taiwan University of Arts. Artist Lin Fengmian once proclaimed: “an artist must be able to discover beauty in every aspect of nature”. Chu, loyal to his mentor’s philosophy, often led his students on excursions to paint from nature, and used these as opportunities to continue honing his own abilities with colour and composition at creating a scene. In 1953, Chu took his first trip to Pa-Shin Mountain. The mountain, at 2,424 meters, approximately 8,000 Taiwanese feet, is named for the height of its peak. Under the ancient trees and the thick mist of the sky, the artist experienced a sudden flash of understanding – he fully grasped the concept of the “real and unreal” in classical Chinese painting, and became unswervingly devoted to observing and capturing the scenery of nature with great passion. The artist was known for his motto: “using the nature of the external world as a teacher, allowing the creation to arise from within.” In 1954, with the encouragement of mentors and colleagues Huang Shao-ku, Zhang Daofan, and Luo Jialun, Chu was honoured with a solo exhibition at what was then the most prestigious exhibition hall in Taiwan, Zhongshan Hall. For this occasion, the artist revisited Pa-Shin Mountain and created a series of landscape paintings. This exhibition garnered unprecedented success, the papers – The Central Daily News,  China Times, Taiwan Shin Sheng Daily News, United Daily News – devoted special coverage to the event, and art critics Yu Junzhi and Lin Shaokui published long pieces in praise of the artist’s work. Every single painting was purchased and collected, which paved the way for the artist’s journey to France.

A Foreshadowing of Abstractionism: The Message in the Clouds and Mountains

Baxianshan (Lot 1038) was completed during the trip back to Pa-Shin Mountain. The artist has chosen a nearly ground-level perspective, highlighting the height and steepness of the trees and the swathes of clouds in the sky. In the foreground, in addition to depicting the natural scenery, the artist has deliberately included the figures of people who appear to be on a nature outing. It seems very likely that these are the students who accompanied the artist on the trip, their presence creating an atmosphere of liveliness. The application of colour is evidently highly influenced by Cezanne, but the layers of verdant and luxuriant green upon the forest floor, as well as the red leaves hanging from the tree in the upper right already foreshadow what would become the artist’s love of colour blocks and the effect of colour collisions. The most thrilling aspect is the thick density of sky in the background. Comparing it with the abstract compositions the artist created many years later in Paris, one can discern the foundations of what would become his signature use of lines and space that had already emerged in Lumière de Montagne Pa-Shin.

The Academic Value of the Painting

After Lumière de Montagne Pa-Shin was created, it quickly became a part of the private collection of State House Foreign Affairs Official Wang Gongji. Wang Gongji was a connoisseur of fine art. His collection included Zao Wou-ki’s untitled painting of a lady in pink sold at Sotheby’s 2015 Autumn Evening Sale for HKD72.8 million, setting a new record high for the artist’s work from the 1940s. In 1988, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum held the China-Paris: A Retrospective of Early Expatriate Painters to France, and Lumière de Montagne Pa-Shin was one of the featured paintings, its provenance clearly traceable. The paintings of Chu Teh-Chun prior to his move to France are few in number, with only five ever appearing in auctions in the world. Regarding this work alongside those of Zao Wou-ki and Wu Guanzhong from the same period, one can catch a glimpse of the grace and refinement from that era and school of Taiwanese art. In this way, the painting possesses rare academic value, only further increasing its value for collection and appreciation.