.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
THE AIR IS FLOWING, SPACE IS SHIFTING, TIME IS DRIPPING AWAY -- HSIAO JU SUNG’S FLUIDIC AESTHETICS
In the 1960s, many forward-thinking ideas rocked the Taiwanese art world, and Hsiao Ju Sung began his study of Cubist compositional concepts as well as Mondrian's ideas on the vertical space between lines and planes. Hsiao took the concept of mirror refraction in transparent objects such as glass and greatly amplify his ability to observe light, colour, and space, allowing him to depict overlapping layers of depth such as windows, glass, and still objects, achieving a unique aesthetic of Eastern fluidity.
Throughout his life, Hsiao delved into many artistic trends and style, and developed his own expressive technique by learning from them. In his early years he studied under Shiotsuki Toho, and later on he was influenced by the revolutionary Japanese watercolour painter Nakanishi Toshio to combine oil painting's flat plastering effect with the vibrant texture of watercolour, in addition to the contours and brushstrokes of Chinese ink wash paintings, to develop his own "opaque watercolour" style. In the mid- 1960s he entered his Cyan Period, during which he favoured a monochromatic colour palette and used his original "scrubbing technique" to transform opaque watercolours and give them clarity, to showcase the shifts in colour when glass meets light. In the 1980s, he turned his attention to "Deformation" and removed extraneous details from his subjects to preserve only their most distinctive features, in the process exaggerating or deforming them, and creating a whole new visual experience once again.
Hills (Lot 337) was created in the 1970s, and remains a rare example of Hsiao's large format works. In this piece he progressively simplified the form and only used light brushes and dots to represent fine details, using a swirling technique to let currents revolve in the air, letting viewers feel the movement of the air, the shifts in the space, and the passage of time. The Western master Van Gogh is famous for his "Starry Night", his powerful brushstrokes, dramatic deformation, and vivid visuals bring viewers to a psychedelic world. Unlike Van Gogh, Hsiao's work seems to combine the levity of Alexander Calder's mobiles and the mystery of Chagall's works to render the quiet movement of air in his own remarkable way.
Hsiao's remarkably modern, minimalistic, and clear composition and use of colours communicate his own elegant and tranquil personality and express his culture and refinement . In conjunct ion with his remarkable combination of oil painting techniques, ink wash painting contours, and abstract geometric in watercolour, he is without a doubt a key figure in the history of contemporary Asian art.
In the 1960s, many forward-thinking ideas rocked the Taiwanese art world, and Hsiao Ju Sung began his study of Cubist compositional concepts as well as Mondrian's ideas on the vertical space between lines and planes. Hsiao took the concept of mirror refraction in transparent objects such as glass and greatly amplify his ability to observe light, colour, and space, allowing him to depict overlapping layers of depth such as windows, glass, and still objects, achieving a unique aesthetic of Eastern fluidity.
Throughout his life, Hsiao delved into many artistic trends and style, and developed his own expressive technique by learning from them. In his early years he studied under Shiotsuki Toho, and later on he was influenced by the revolutionary Japanese watercolour painter Nakanishi Toshio to combine oil painting's flat plastering effect with the vibrant texture of watercolour, in addition to the contours and brushstrokes of Chinese ink wash paintings, to develop his own "opaque watercolour" style. In the mid- 1960s he entered his Cyan Period, during which he favoured a monochromatic colour palette and used his original "scrubbing technique" to transform opaque watercolours and give them clarity, to showcase the shifts in colour when glass meets light. In the 1980s, he turned his attention to "Deformation" and removed extraneous details from his subjects to preserve only their most distinctive features, in the process exaggerating or deforming them, and creating a whole new visual experience once again.
Hills (Lot 337) was created in the 1970s, and remains a rare example of Hsiao's large format works. In this piece he progressively simplified the form and only used light brushes and dots to represent fine details, using a swirling technique to let currents revolve in the air, letting viewers feel the movement of the air, the shifts in the space, and the passage of time. The Western master Van Gogh is famous for his "Starry Night", his powerful brushstrokes, dramatic deformation, and vivid visuals bring viewers to a psychedelic world. Unlike Van Gogh, Hsiao's work seems to combine the levity of Alexander Calder's mobiles and the mystery of Chagall's works to render the quiet movement of air in his own remarkable way.
Hsiao's remarkably modern, minimalistic, and clear composition and use of colours communicate his own elegant and tranquil personality and express his culture and refinement . In conjunct ion with his remarkable combination of oil painting techniques, ink wash painting contours, and abstract geometric in watercolour, he is without a doubt a key figure in the history of contemporary Asian art.