• 20th Century & Contemporary Ar auction at Christies

    Sale 12511

    20th Century & Contemporary Art (Evening Sale)

    Shanghai

    |

    22 October 2016

    Browse Sale
Previous Lot
Search
Next Lot
    • SHANG YANG (CHINESE, B. 1942)
    Lot 202

    SHANG YANG (CHINESE, B. 1942)

    H Land - 14

    Price realised

    CNY 1,140,000

    Estimate

    CNY 400,000 - CNY 600,000

    Follow lot
    Add to Interests

    SHANG YANG (CHINESE, B. 1942)
    H Land - 14
    signed and titled in Chinese; signed 'Shang Yang' in Pinyin; dated '2010' (on the reverse)
    oil and acrylic on canvas
    39 x 72 cm. (15 3/8 x 28 3/8 in.)
    Painted in 2010

    Contact us

    • Contact Client Service

      info@christies.com

      New York +1 212 636 2000

      London +44 (0)20 7839 9060

      infoasia@christies.com

      Asia +852 2760 1766

    Literature and exhibited

    Literature

    Beijing Zoomart Investment Management Co. Ltd, THRESHOLD, Beijing, China, 2015 (illustrated, p.5)


    Exhibited

    Beijing, China, Zoomart Gallery, THRESHOLD, Sept. 19-Oct.3, 2015


    Lot Essay

    “H Land” is a code name. It could signify the yellow soil of China’s Loess Plateau, a sweeping mountain range, even the small hills that one climbed during childhood. Shang Yang’s work conceptualizes the abstract shape of mountains and rivers, and attempts to record the erosion and disappearance of these features from our surroundings. In choosing these subjects, Shang confronts the environmental issues that face us in the modern day and age, while also exploring the aesthetic of the Chinese landscape painting in a contemporary context.

    In H Land - 14, Shang Yang has created a flattened topography that expresses the idea of a landscape as a two- dimensional metaphor. The pale ochre tones are suggestive of desert sands or yellow earth, while the two knolls resemble dunes or hills. Despite the lack of recognizable landmarks, the textured brushwork and two domed shapes that make up the work are distinctly topographic. Shang Yang’s use of line is inspired by classical Chinese landscape painting, and the figures in his work are reminiscent of works by artists such as Dong Qichang. Yet his work is also distinctly modern, reflecting modern sensibilities in his depiction of desolation.

    Materiality also plays an important role in Shang Yang’s work. He paints using a mixture of acrylic and oil paints, which forms a unique texture that adds visual impact. Combined with a simple colour palette, the effect is one of stark minimalism that also borrows from tradition. By emphasizing materiality, Shang draws comparisons with organic surfaces, producing a physical visualization of the passing of time and precipitation of history. The natural landscape, which humans have both needed and nurtured for millennia, is conceptualized as slowly being degraded in the light of humanity’s exploitation and arrogance.

    Shang Yang once stated in an interview that, “If there is only a heavy sense of Eastern meaning, but no spirit of the contemporary, then is there anything that distinguishes new work from the traditional? You must have both elements.” Embodying this concept, Shang Yang interprets classical landscapes using oil, emphasizing the contemporary, the traditional, and the individuality of the artist on an equal basis. The result is a work that may not be easily accessible to all audiences, but nonetheless projects a simple beauty and long-lasting impact.

    Other information

    Special Notice


    This Lot has been sourced from overseas. When auctioned, such property will remain under “bond” with the applicable import customs duties and taxes being deferred unless and until the property is brought into free circulation in the PRC. Prospective buyers are reminded that after paying for such lots in full and cleared funds, if they wish to import the lots into the PRC, they will be responsible for and will have to pay the applicable import customs duties and taxes. The rates of import customs duty and tax are based on the value of the goods and the relevant customs regulations and classifications in force at the time of import.


    Recommended features

      • 20 reasons to take a look at F
      • 20 reasons to take a look at First Open

        Kinetic art, big names at surprising prices, rising stars to invest in, and wall power for your home — offered in First Open | Online

      • Virtual tour: Post-War and Con
      • Virtual tour: Post-War and Contemporary Art at
        Christie’s Paris

        Take a closer look at exceptional works by Dubuffet and Haring, alongside pieces from the collection of Eileen and I.M. Pei, to be offered in Paris on 3 & 4 December

      • What I’ve learned: Anne Paster
      • What I’ve learned: Anne Pasternak, Director of the Brooklyn Museum

        After three years at the helm of what she plans to make ‘the most trailblazing museum on the planet’, Pasternak talks Matisse, ancient Egypt and Richard Serra

      • A gift to Greece: the Goulandr
      • A gift to Greece: the Goulandris Foundation

        With works by Van Gogh, Cézanne and Picasso, the Goulandris Foundation’s new museum is a dazzling addition to Athens, as Jonathan Bastable discovers

      • Virtual tour: Handbags x HYPE
      • Virtual tour: Handbags x HYPE at Christie’s New York

        The viewing showcases the most comprehensive selection of limited-edition handbags and Supreme accessories to ever come to Christie’s.

      • Luxury Living: Homes with TV a
      • Luxury Living: Homes with TV and film connections

        From Hawaii to New York, five properties that stars of the entertainment industry have called home (both in real life and on screen)

Share
Email
Copy link