Lot  63 Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Albizzia Flower

Yoshio CHANG (Taiwanese, 1914 - 2016)

1992

Oil on canvas

194.7 x 114 cm

Estimate

TWD 6,500,000-7,500,000

USD 200,000-230,800

Sold Price

TWD 8,946,000

USD 279,257


Signature

Inscribed lower right Dieu Merci
Epoque Clignoncourt. in French;
signed Chang Y. in English and dated 1992.

EXHIBITED:


A Retrospective: Yoshio Chang at the Age of Eighty, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, 1994

ILLUSTRATED:


A Retrospective: Yoshio Chang at the Age of Eighty, Taipei, 1994, illustrated, p. 102

Huang Hsiao-yen, Pilgrim, Autumn Song, Yoshio Chang, Hsiung Shih Books Pte. Ltd.,Taipei, 2004, color illustrated, p. 49

+ OVERVIEW

In 1946, he joined Lee Guo-tien's uitar & mandolin band?near Taipei Bridge, and he took the job as the music teacher in Taibei High School. He loved to play guitar, and even named his son iu-xian? With influences from Picasso's Cubism, the background of lbizzia Flower?is layout in squares, with a geometric figure desk, and guitar, albizzia flowers, books on top of it, there is a dramatic tempo inside the picture, with strong contrasts, rich textures, provides a fortitudinous and steady feeling. This painting had proven Yoshio unerasable achievements in art, and can be considered as Yoshio's representative work.

Although lbizzia Flower is a repaint of his work during his black line period? however, with experience through years, the later one appeared to be more solid and mature. To speak of, the "guitar" in lbizzia Flower is the so called uitar on the blue cloth? and has appeared in many of Yoshio's works. He didn have too many luggages when he and wife returned from Beijing to Taiwan, all he has was this beloved guitar and a bird cage. Guitar accompanied him when he was young, to him; guitar is the memory of the youth, and the friend who is willing to travel with him to the edge of the world. suffered for that he even cried in the studio. According to the reports on nited Daily News? Yoshio Chang is a upright and outspoken person, he will use violence to solve things and to preserve his dignity if there are dissenting views, the whole incident was quite furious in the Taipei art scene. After that, Yoshio returned to Paris and claimed that paintings had won the 1st prize on the provincial art exhibition. However, this incident bothered him for the rest of his life, and he always wants to clear his name. Until one night at 2 AM in 1992, God told him to repaint that painting again, but bigger, and after completion, let everyone decide if it is painted by the same person. (Please refer to aiwan Paintings vol. 9) And this is why Yoshio Chang painted the Albizzia Flower in 1992.

There are French ieu Merci, Epoque Clignoncourt 1992?written in red on the lower right corner of lbizzia Flower?to remember the incident in his life. Clignoncourt is on the northeast side of Paris, It should be his studio back then. Not long ago, the Council of Cultural Affairs in Taiwan asked Hsiung Shih publications to publish Yoshio'sautobiography, and it was published in 2005, critics describe him as pilgrim who sings for autumn During the compilation of his autobiography, the memory of the lbizzia Flower?incident appeared to Due to the carelessness of the related organizations, his award winning piece was altered, and Yoshio Chang was too him again, and he wished to include the lbizzia Flower?which he painted when he was young to this publication, however his wish didn come true, and become regret.

Yoshio Chang was born in a wealthy family in Chaiyi, Taiwan, 1914, he witnessed Chen Cheng-po painting at the Chaiyi central fountain when he was 11, and he made up his mind to be an artist for the rest of his life, with Chen Cheng-po's enlightenments and influences, Yoshio started his artistic life. He consider himself a natural born artist, when study abroad to Japan when he was young, and enrolled to Musashino Art University to study art. Because of his study in Kawabata Painting School and his dream in paintings, he thrown away his common life, and chosen a rougher way for art. In the Taiwan art history, Yoshio Chang is the first senior artist who went from Taiwan to Japan, then Paris, and took up his residence in Paris. He moved back to Japan recently, where he pursued his education.

He has furious characteristics, and he clearly knows the line between love and hate, and this makes him like a pilgrim. In his early years, he had family support to paint, however, he had about 20 years of life painting passerby portraits, and he describes him as he poor of the poor? He had been drifting for all his life, and longed for a visit to Paris and continue painting. When he was 67 years old, in 1981, his dream came true. In 1987 he was received the French Artist Reward, and he is the first person from Taiwan who received such laurel, in 1988, he became the first selected Taiwanese member of French Salon. He always denied himself and tried to surpass himself during creation, therefore he humbly claimed that it was when he's 70, he learned how to differentiate far and near in the painting, and kept focusing on the lines, to pursue works with better essences. He painted a satisfied piece work until he's 80. Yoshio Chang is good at painting still life, especially in his later years; he put more of his own characteristics into it.

Related Info

The 20th & 21st Century Chinese Art

Ravenel Spring Auction 2006

Sunday, June 4, 2006, 12:00am