CHU TEH-CHUN (ZHU DEQUN) | Abstraction neige I

Acquired directly from the artist
Galerie Point Rouge, Paris, circa 1989-1990
Acquired directly from the above by a private collector in 1993
Claude Aguttes, Lyon, 1 June 2015, Lot 2
Acquired directly from the above by the present important private Asian collector

The work is overall in very good and its original condition. There is no sign of restoration under UV light examination.
"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."

A Strong and Triumphant Voice of Asia in France Established in early 17th century by Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, chief minister of King Louis XIII, l’Institut de France has been admired as the most authoritative academic institution in France over its history of nearly 400 years. It is also a revered guardian of Western civilization both ancient and contemporary; in 1997, Chun Teh-Chun was elected as a member of the renowned institute, making him not only the first Chinese person in the history of France to have received such an honour, but also the first master artist in the history of Chinese art to have entered the greatest grand hall of art in the West. This symbolizes a peak achievement culminating decades of development in post-war Asian Art. Throughout his entire life, Chu Teh-Chun dedicated his art to the exploration of a common set of vocabularies in Eastern and Western art. His work reflects an assimilation of the essence of Western art whilst revealing his strong foundation in Chinese calligraphy as well as a distinctly Eastern poetic atmosphere. His “snow scene” series created between 1985 and 1990, is particularly rare and brilliant. Each time a piece from the series appeared in auction, it drew widespread attention. Abstraction Neige I (Lot 1036) was completed at the beginning phase of the series’ creation. Within its compact size, the painting is filled with inspirations and passion. From the flurry of sleet in the painting, the viewer can experience the wonder of nature experienced by the artist in the Alps.

Clean, pure and noble in its imagery, Abstraction Neige I depicts white snow covering the mountains. The artist captured the vast and commanding mountains with his powerful brushstroke, and a rhythmic melody comes to mind when one observes the undulating lines vividly filled with the spirit of ink. Such a composition displays not only the artist’s exceptional accomplishment in the wild cursive style of calligraphy, but also his original approach to assimilating the essence of American abstract expressionism. American abstract master Jackson Pollock’s “action painting” based its foundation on the “automatic technique” of painting, which involved splashing, using gestural brushstrokes and dripping paint onto canvas, creating dense lines and points weaving and crisscrossing with each other, breaking free from the constraints of the “function” of using images to interpret objects and phenomena. Free spirited colour patches and lines documented the rhythm of the artist’s movements as he created the piece, bringing endless tension to the canvas. Chun Teh-Chun’s snow landscape is noted for its translucent flurries of snow, its creative process also involved a similarly sporadic nature: the artist first used a Chinese landscape composition to draw the viewer’s thoughts into the scene, then he splashed white pigment freely onto the canvas, creating the effect of snow flurries dancing and swirling, and the “tan fen” (literally meaning “flicking powder”) technique in classical Chinese landscape painting comes to mind. The three-dimensional, flickering visual effect transports the viewer to the natural landscape itself. Pollock discarded all prescribed methodologies and made an impressive leap in the development of Western Art. Chu’s abstract landscape is deeply connected to Eastern culture, inheriting the traditional Chinese painting concept that “likeness” in spirit is pursued over likeness in physical appearances, incorporating the Chinese painting concept of “xieyi” (a more free, spontaneous emotional brushstroke) into a Western painting medium. The result is an atmosphere grand and delicate all at once. 

When recalling his journey to the Alps, Chu Teh-Chun said: “when (the landscape was) covered in clouds and mists, there were clearly perceptible layers of white within the white colour of the clouds and mists and the white colour of the snow covered mountains. At that time, all I could think of was how the clouds and mists moved on the white ground, and the layers that emerged. It was as if my spirit also moved with the subtle changes of the white colours, floating, sinking and swaying. Various images depicted in Tang dynasty poem emerged vividly in my mind.” Making use of his own cultural and philosophical knowledge, Chu Teh-Chun quietly infused the spirit and poetry of Chinese landscape with his recreation of the snow landscape, a sublime state of mine evoking images beyond the physical appearance; Abstraction Neige I is a poem without words, expressing the artist’s reflection upon and profound wisdom on the interaction between human and nature, a modern interpretation of the ancient Chinese notion that poetry and painting follow the same rhythm.



This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by Mrs. Ching-Chao Chu, spouse of the artist and co-editor of the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist