In 1948, Zau Wou-ki arrived in Paris from China, full of enthusiasm, and began to immerse himself in the world of Western art as he sought to find his own artistic path. Absorbing influences from many great artists – particularly Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) – Zao’s approach to art was transformed, and he established a name for himself within European art circles; eventually, his fame also spread to Asia and to the Americas. Having been born into a literary family that traced its descent from the imperial family of the Song Dynasty, Zao Wou-ki had received an extensive grounding in East Asian art and culture as a child, and this never left him; after his move to Paris, its influence gradually made itself felt on Zao’s art; accompanying the changes in Zao’s personal circumstances and in his artistic career, the two great cultural streams – Western and Chinese – continued to influence one another in his art, sometimes colliding, and sometimes integrating. As Zao’s spirit of creativity, with its constant striving for innovation, and his philosophy on respecting the nature, continued to inspire and stimulate one another over the years, Zao succeeded in achieving a perfect synthesis of Western abstract art and East Asian conceptual art. Zao Wou-ki overcame the boundaries between Western and Eastern culture, developing a new artistic lexicon and vision for the venerable artistic tradition of oil painting. From the 1960s onwards, Zao’s artistic achievements began to attract recognition in international art circles; after years of perfecting his art and overcoming challenges, Zao came to enjoy a high reputation in Europe, the Americas and Asia. In During 1998 – 1999, the “Zao Wou-ki: 60 ans de peintures” retrospective touring exhibition was held in China at the Shanghai Museum, the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, and the Guangdong Museum of Art, presenting a comprehensive overview of the transformations in Zao’s art at each stage in his artistic career and of the peaks of his artistic achievement. In 1999, when this breathtaking work “24.09.99” was completed, Zao Wou-ki’s creative drive was undimmed, although he was already in his 70s; “24.09.99” is a fine example of the cosmological exploration and masterly skill that characterized Zao’s later works.

In this painting, a brilliant golden light whirls around in the sky, sometimes coming together and sometimes dissipating, like sunlight flowing in from the far reaches of the cosmos, or the spray from a golden waterfall pouring over the edge of a cliff, or a flame shooting up in the air. The golden-yellow brushstrokes are both firm and delicate, while also embodying a sense of light, airy freedom. The light dances tirelessly, reflecting and leaping between different textures; the myriad amorphous forms that the light takes seem to exude an immense, dazzling energy. Within the void, a purple radiance of varying intensity flickers mysteriously, penetrating through from an unknowably distant place, and seeming somehow to embody all the secrets of the universe. In the upper part of the canvas, there is a patch of darker purple in conflict with the rising golden radiance, which brings a feeling of stability and the sense of dignity to the entire painting. Using just two basic color tones – golden-yellow and lavender – Zao Wou-ki had succeeded in filling “24.09.99” with a sense of vast expanse, a detailed, layered richness, and a feeling of transformation. Traditionally, in China, golden and purple were the colors of emperors and royalty; they symbolized status and refinement, and also absolute authority. The layering of golden-yellow tones over a background of lavender color creates a sense of continuity in time, so that, as we stand facing the painting, it is as though we were viewing the most spectacular moment in a rapid dance of flame; through this single moment, we can sense something of the unremitting transformation and the flow of time that the painting represents.

In point of fact, in his abstract art, Zao Wou-ki did more than simply capture or depict the intangible sense of vitality that he felt within himself; he engaged in a proactive process of construction, using light and color, and his powerful brushwork, to create a world in which the virtual and the real reflect one another, a world that is full of energy, and harmonious without stagnation. The poet and art critic Dominique de Villepin (who was Prime Minister of France from 2005 to 2007), once described Zao Wou-ki in the following terms: “His paintings look life in the face, and life looks back at them. He throws himself into the future, striving for progress and an as yet unknown ending; when viewed in these terms, his art constitutes a kind of wisdom.” (Dominique de Villepin, ‘Dans le labryrinthe des lumières’ in “Zao Wou-ki”, published by Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 2010, p. 20). Even after his work began to win recognition in European art circles in the 1960s, Zao Wou-ki refused to become complacent. He set about reconstructing his rich, unique artistic vision; the inexpressible power of his paintings continued to evolve, offering a diverse range of spiritual meanings, in response to changes in the artist’s life and the development of his thinking.

Whereas those of Zao Wou-ki’s paintings created in the 1980s tended to make the center of the canvas the heart of the composition, with the painting “radiating out” from this central position, however his paintings from the 1990s seemed a renewed change in his style. During this period, Zao allowed dense clusters of brush-strokes to spread out over every part of the canvas, and a calm, distant-seeming background often took on the role of “center” of the painting; one might say that “absence” was at the heart of these works. Without a single, concentrated focal point, there was also no point at which these paintings lost focus; the lack of a clear focal point did not in any way detract from the overall power of these works. Even the blank spaces on the canvas seem to flow with a mysterious force that is hard to put into words, but which somehow links together the whole canvas into a unified structure. Zao’s paintings from this period display a superb mastery of composition, and great self-assurance.

Painted in 1999, “24.09.99” is one of Zao Wou-ki’s finest works from this period in his artistic career. More than just a superb example of the multi focus point technique, this painting also presents spectacular flowing visual effects based on the breaking down and transformation of conventional images, while at the same time making effective use of contrasting color hues; the utilization of yellow and purple as the main color tones enables the colors to interact harmoniously while providing an endless stream of energy. In the past, colors with a corresponding level of power would have been in competition with one another on Zao’s canvases, producing glittering “flames” of color. In “24.09.99,” by contrast, there is more a sense of two-way communication between intangible forces that whirl round in a dance together. Using skills honed over several decades, Zao Wou-ki was able to exploit this large canvas to the full, demonstrating the full range of his capabilities. From the 1970s onwards, Zao’s abstract oil paintings had shown the influence of traditional Chinese ink brush painting, with its distinctive grace and rhythm. By the time he painted “24.09.99,” Zao had wholly mastered the integration of ink brush painting techniques into his abstract art, and was able to create impressive effects of expansion and change, along with a sense of immense space. And the space Zao had created resembles the atmosphere that the ink brush landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty have built, where the viewer feels that they are being invited into the landscape to explore it for themselves.

When viewing “24.09.99,” we find that our spirit follows our gaze into an unknown landscape; we can almost hear the soft murmuring of the swirling air and the explosive crackling of the flames. This feeling of envelopment creates a kind of “tunnel vision” perspective that is both private and lonely. It is as though the artist is walking steadily into the depths of his soul, moving ever onwards to explore an unknown universe; eventually, you reach a point where there is no-one to accompany or support you, and you are left alone in a dialog with the boundless mysteries of the cosmos. In becoming aware of this awesome power, we learn both to be humble and to respect the value of our own existence.