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拍品专文
Painted in 1963, Zao Wou-Ki’s 18.03.63 bursts forth with unrestrained, sweeping cursive brushstrokes that surge across a serene backdrop. Richly textured with a masterful interplay of light and shadow, this work exemplifies the height of his celebrated ‘Hurricane Period’, showcasing the artist’s distinctive abstract language through bold impasto, scraping and rapid, energetic brushwork. First presented in 1963 by Galerie de France in Paris, Zao’s longtime collaborator during this time, the painting was exhibited that same year at The Redfern Gallery in London. Zao Wou-Ki’s ‘Hurricane Period’ produced many of his most sought-after works, accounting for 11 of his top 15 auction records. Major institutions have continued to celebrate his legacy in recent years through retrospectives and solo exhibitions, including the Art Museum of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, the National Gallery Singapore and M+ in Hong Kong.
In the early 1960s, Zao stood at a transformative juncture in his artistic career, shifting from the inscriptions and petroglyph-like forms of his earlier ‘Oracle Bone Period’ to the unrestrained, wild and free-flowing energy of his now-iconic ‘Hurricane Period.’ Channelling the dynamism and energy of Chinese cursive calligraphy, his brushstrokes strike the canvas with intensity and ferocity, creating a power storm which seemingly wrestles with space itself. Sharp, vigorous marks pulse with emotion, etching the artist’s innermost feelings directly onto the surface. Yet, the expansive, seemingly infinite composition simultaneously alludes to a profound longing for tranquillity, transcending and enveloping the chaos above.
Though rendered in Western oil paint, 18.03.63 perfectly encapsulates the foundational Chinese aesthetic ideal of qiyun shengdong (spiritual resonance). The work evokes the dynamism and flow of wild cursive script while simultaneously conveying the Taoist qualities of vastness and limitlessness. Dominated by earthy tones, 18.03.63 creates a serene yet majestic spiritual space infused with Zen-like qualities, inviting viewers into deep introspection and meditation. Deep browns entwine with luminous whites, generating striking tonal contrasts. A narrow beam of light seemingly spills across the surface, illuminating the lighter browns on the left as tones deepen gradually farther away. The areas of white are deliberately outlined, building rich layers while emphasizing the gradations. The longer one spends in front of the painting, the more subtle tones, flowing textures and hidden details are revealed.
Despite spending more than 15 years in Paris, Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings remained deeply rooted in Chinese artistic traditions. Works from this period often reflect the compositional ideals of traditional Chinese landscape painting, divided into three distinct sections: upper, middle and lower. The upper section features thin washes or deliberately reserved spaces that evoke the sky or distant views. Light, soaring brushstrokes suggest drifting clouds or lingering mist, infusing the composition with a profound sense of emptiness (xuwu)—a quintessential quality of Eastern philosophy that evokes boundless space and spiritual openness. The middle section serves as the dynamic core of the painting. Wild patterns, colliding brushstrokes, interwoven colours and fluid ink-like washes converge to create a powerful focal point charged with energy and vitality. The interplay of light and dark tones heighten the rich fluctuations in colour, amplifying the section’s intensity. The lower section, meanwhile, anchors the entire composition. Heavy colour patches, broad horizontal brushstrokes, paint drips and splashes establish a grounded stability. This solid foundation not only balances the unrestrained energy of the hurricane, but also introduces a sense of depth and three-dimensionality, providing a firm base for the freer, more expressive brushwork in the sections above.
In the thickly impastoed white area near the upper left, Zao Wou-Ki employs a distinctive textured technique that echoes the visual effects of Gerhard Richter’s signature squeegee, creating a unique, smooth pigment trail. This trail stretches diagonally outward from the center, as if a water surface retreating into the distance, conjuring an infinite landscape within the finite frame of the painting. Complementing this, the dark band along the upper right edge suggests a distant shore, deeply reflecting the aesthetics and compositional essence of traditional Chinese painting, while reinforcing this work as an abstracted landscape.
The rapid, wild brushstrokes of 18.03.63 pierce through the poetic landscape beneath, vividly reflecting Zao Wou-Ki’s turbulent inner world during this pivotal phase of his career. As the painting makes its long-awaited debut on the international auction stage after more than 60 years in private hands, it reaffirms Zao Wou-Ki’s place among the masters who redefined abstraction. The artist’s long-dormant passion is at last released, allowing for its powerful impact to be, once again, felt by the world.
In the early 1960s, Zao stood at a transformative juncture in his artistic career, shifting from the inscriptions and petroglyph-like forms of his earlier ‘Oracle Bone Period’ to the unrestrained, wild and free-flowing energy of his now-iconic ‘Hurricane Period.’ Channelling the dynamism and energy of Chinese cursive calligraphy, his brushstrokes strike the canvas with intensity and ferocity, creating a power storm which seemingly wrestles with space itself. Sharp, vigorous marks pulse with emotion, etching the artist’s innermost feelings directly onto the surface. Yet, the expansive, seemingly infinite composition simultaneously alludes to a profound longing for tranquillity, transcending and enveloping the chaos above.
Though rendered in Western oil paint, 18.03.63 perfectly encapsulates the foundational Chinese aesthetic ideal of qiyun shengdong (spiritual resonance). The work evokes the dynamism and flow of wild cursive script while simultaneously conveying the Taoist qualities of vastness and limitlessness. Dominated by earthy tones, 18.03.63 creates a serene yet majestic spiritual space infused with Zen-like qualities, inviting viewers into deep introspection and meditation. Deep browns entwine with luminous whites, generating striking tonal contrasts. A narrow beam of light seemingly spills across the surface, illuminating the lighter browns on the left as tones deepen gradually farther away. The areas of white are deliberately outlined, building rich layers while emphasizing the gradations. The longer one spends in front of the painting, the more subtle tones, flowing textures and hidden details are revealed.
Despite spending more than 15 years in Paris, Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings remained deeply rooted in Chinese artistic traditions. Works from this period often reflect the compositional ideals of traditional Chinese landscape painting, divided into three distinct sections: upper, middle and lower. The upper section features thin washes or deliberately reserved spaces that evoke the sky or distant views. Light, soaring brushstrokes suggest drifting clouds or lingering mist, infusing the composition with a profound sense of emptiness (xuwu)—a quintessential quality of Eastern philosophy that evokes boundless space and spiritual openness. The middle section serves as the dynamic core of the painting. Wild patterns, colliding brushstrokes, interwoven colours and fluid ink-like washes converge to create a powerful focal point charged with energy and vitality. The interplay of light and dark tones heighten the rich fluctuations in colour, amplifying the section’s intensity. The lower section, meanwhile, anchors the entire composition. Heavy colour patches, broad horizontal brushstrokes, paint drips and splashes establish a grounded stability. This solid foundation not only balances the unrestrained energy of the hurricane, but also introduces a sense of depth and three-dimensionality, providing a firm base for the freer, more expressive brushwork in the sections above.
In the thickly impastoed white area near the upper left, Zao Wou-Ki employs a distinctive textured technique that echoes the visual effects of Gerhard Richter’s signature squeegee, creating a unique, smooth pigment trail. This trail stretches diagonally outward from the center, as if a water surface retreating into the distance, conjuring an infinite landscape within the finite frame of the painting. Complementing this, the dark band along the upper right edge suggests a distant shore, deeply reflecting the aesthetics and compositional essence of traditional Chinese painting, while reinforcing this work as an abstracted landscape.
The rapid, wild brushstrokes of 18.03.63 pierce through the poetic landscape beneath, vividly reflecting Zao Wou-Ki’s turbulent inner world during this pivotal phase of his career. As the painting makes its long-awaited debut on the international auction stage after more than 60 years in private hands, it reaffirms Zao Wou-Ki’s place among the masters who redefined abstraction. The artist’s long-dormant passion is at last released, allowing for its powerful impact to be, once again, felt by the world.