$51,200
1968 ink and color on paper 72 x 52. 5 cm (28 2/8 x 20 5/8 in.) signed and dated lower center right PROVENANCE Gifted to the present owner by the artist in the early 1970s Initially considered as a political subversive due to the westward leaning language of his work, Liu Guosong [Kuo-Sung] has since come to be seen as a major contributor to the development of 20th century Chinese art and even as the "father of modern Chinese painting". Stressing the importance of experimentation, Guosong`s work embodies the fusion of eastern and western traditions, at once recalling Tang Dynasty landscapes and the work of Abstract Expressionists. As the artist famously put it: Guosong`s paintings have an undeniable presence that is in no small degree due to the materiality of their surface. During the 1960s the artist developed a style utilizing bold gestural brushwork and eventually embraced surface manipulations -- applying collaged elements as well as removing fibers directly from the surface to mimic brush lines and create a delicate sculptural quality. This approach lends itself to the otherworldly, diaphanously textured landscapes that have made Guosong famous -- often featuring rocky terrain and orbs representing the moon, Earth and sun, in part inspired by the photographs taken during the 1968 Apollo Space Mission.
Auctioneer:
Shapiro Auctions
Date:
2016-09-17
