Zao Wou-Ki moved to Paris in spring 1948. From the first day of his arrival, and for the year and half onwards, he continuously visited museums and exhibitions every day. At that time he said, "You have to understand other paintings for yourself to paint. You have to even appreciate bad paintings in order to understand how to paint when you are young. I have always wanted to grasp other painters' intention, and to study how lines and points construct a picture plane." In 1951, Zao encountered Paul Klee's works in Bern Switzerland, and strongly resonated with his paintings which projected an exuberant oriental mood. In VIII.51 (Lot 145), Zao used simple lines to construct the architecture and landscapes. Ever since the 1950s, line has been an important formal element in Zao Wou-Ki's works, including the figurative still life and landscapes with clear contour, from his Klee-influenced period, to the symbolic calligraphic motifs developed in mid-1950s. After 1958, the narrative contents were further reduced in Zao's works. His lines began to exhibit more pure and absolute expressiveness. VIII.51 thus reveals Zao's initial exploration in the simplicity of lines, and predicts his passion in this regard throughout his career.