Lot 35
Aux sources de la nuit
CHU Teh-chun (Chinese-French, 1920 - 2014)
2004
Oil on canvas
195 x 130 cm
Estimate
TWD 6,500,000-8,000,000
USD 200,000-246,200
Sold Price
TWD 6,706,000
USD 209,334
Signature
Titled on the reverse "AUX SOURCES
dE LA NUiT" in French and signed
CHU TEH-CHUN in Chinese and English, dated 2004
EXHIBITED:
Chu Teh-chun's Painting World, Impressions Art Gallery, Taipei, June 2005
ILLUSTRATED:
Impressions Classics IX: Chu Teh-chun, Impressions Art Gallery, Taipei, 2005, color illustrated, no. 079, p. 116
+ OVERVIEW
Chu Teh-chun's mural-sized oil painting "Symphonie Festive" (430x730cm) was completed in 2003 and snatched up in the same year to become part of the Shanghai Grand Theater's permanent collection. Through vivid colours and a great variety of shifting patterns, the artist conveys a merry atmosphere with a brisk and relaxed rhythm reminiscent of a symphonic poem.
"Paysagisme des songes" describe Chu Teh-chun's painting style. His more recent work in particular displays a natural and uninhibited release of form and color. Together with Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-chun is one of the most famous abstract painters of Chinese descent, both in China and internationally. But unlike Zao, who tends to simply name his works after the date of completion, Chu usually devises poetic titles, which point the beholder towards deeper appreciation of the painting. This painting from 2004 titled "Aux sources de la muit" is one of his recent masterpieces. Numerous shades of red, yellow and blue are set off with particular intensity and luster against the black background. The bold composition and rich hues dazzle the viewer with multifaceted layers of space and color. The dotted slabs of paint seem to be dancing like musical notes on the surface of the painting, metamorphosing into blossoming flowers or bright, lucid rays of light the next moment, ever communicating the multitude of pleasant recollections of a long life effusing from the depth of the artist's heart.
The 20th & 21st Century Chinese Art
Ravenel Spring Auction 2006
Sunday, June 4, 2006, 12:00am