Signature
With two seals of the artist
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
+ OVERVIEW
Under the influence of Abstract expressionism, Walasse Ting painted a majority of the work with splashed ink in the context of Chinese landscape ink painting with reference to the landscape of the Wu School. The lower panel is painted with details of slopes and riverscape, embellished with huts and trees. The intermittent use of damp and dried brush depict various textures, which were enhanced by the lines to create a magnificent landscape. Such an imaginative scene enriches a modern character in the work. In an interview, Walasse Ting mentioned that one turned into the subject matter when one views the object. This is the result of an artist’s devoted pursuit of creativity and passion, allowing his work to carry an immense depth of individuality. Innovation in the use of ink enabled him to reconstruct the techniques of cun strokes and dots, thereby modernizing the landscape genre. Layers of ink coagulate as colour blocks of a Rothko painting. Bold use of brush, hands and daily objects as medium of application on the panel is experimental. Lines and layers of ink imprinted and rubbed on large areas of the panel challenge the concept of traditional "five ink gradations"in its practice. Using black ink as white spaces, the brilliance of landscape and the fluidity of ink is enhanced. The vastness of landscape could be depicted under the richness of ink, showing individuality of the artist and the grandiosity of landscape paintings. This concludes the innovativeness of Walasse Ting as he transformed this classical genre into a modern painting.