第五十八號

The two works on paper from the same period presented in the day sale, No. 38 (Lot 107) and No. 58 (Lot 140), along with Chu Teh-Chun's No. 54 (Lot 8), are freehand landscapes that exude a Zen-like atmosphere, yet are also tinged with more worldly sentiments. Though Chu's handling of mostly black composition seems to place the works at a certain remove from the mundane world, his attentive care and elegant technique highlight the details of floating clouds, rushing waters, stony cliffs, and graceful flowers--all the good and beautiful things to be found in the mundane world that lift the human spirit. Overall, in the creative period of the 1960s, Chu Teh-Chun sought to apply colour concisely and to focus on developing a new and expressive vocabulary of composition and form. For that reason Chu's works from early 1960s often employ monochrome backgrounds, to which he adds highly stylized, strong and nimble lines applied by a broad brush. This stage marks his attempt to move away from the realist-oriented "depiction" toward metaphysical "writing". The significance of the works, among his other works in the same early stage, lies in Chu's ambition for innovation and creativity during his transition period. At the same time, these works display a highly accomplished, progressive, and mature style, envisaging the kind of surging, musical energy that would characterize the astonishing works in his later career.