Lot  82 Ravenel Spring Auction 2008

Ravenel Spring Auction 2008

Barking Dogs, Jumping Colors

TSENG Ching-kan (Taiwanese, 1958)

1996

Oil on canvas

80 x 100 cm

Estimate

TWD 280,000-350,000

HKD 71,800-89,700

USD 9,700-12,100

Sold Price

TWD 413,000

HKD 106,006

USD 13,583


Signature

Signed on the reverse Tseng Ching-kan in Chinese, dated 1996, titled Barking Dogs, Jumping Colors in Chinese

+ OVERVIEW

"Sometimes, I imagine a story, and paint it on the canvas; sometimes, I create characters on the canvas, and let them tell the story; sometimes, I look at my finished work, and make up a story; and sometimes, I merge different shapes to create paronomasias." Said Tseng Ching-kan. Tseng painted animals, still life, and unknown objects repeatedly, and they are actually genies lives inside of the artist, through his brushes, they jump on the canvas, as if they're dancing freely on stage. "Barking Dogs, Jumping Colors" is one of the best from Tseng's early works, the artist shouts at the twinkling streets lights on the defensive, painted the lost of men in rapid urban developments as well as his diverse feelings within.

At first look, the piece looks like a child's drawing, or a primitive work, one might think that it could be easily done by anyone, but with a reverse thinking on it, no matter Dubuffet, Miro or Tseng, all have been educated and cultivated, removing that outfit of convenances isn't as easy as it seems, and the difficulty is not to let the viewer found it awkward but natural with those scrabbles.

When we look into Tseng's work, we'll ind his applying superior techniques to create a child's innocence artlessly; his random layout also makes this piece attractive with a lot of fun.

Related Info

The 20th & 21st Century Chinese Art Japanese & Korean Contemporary Art

Ravenel Spring Auction 2008

Sunday, June 1, 2008, 12:00am