There is a strong sense of rarity to this show, a feeling that it won't ever happen again.
Three legendary figures from the Taiwanese art world, all in their 80s -- men that had their heyday in the 60s and 70s yet whose prestige has stretched into the new millennium -- have been brought together in a group show.
Wang Pan-yuan (
The 30 pieces on view at the gallery all date from a period 30 years ago. During the 60s, Zao and Chu stepped into abstract painting and the years that followed shortly after represent the peak of their careers and the beginning of Wang's. The works from this period are also more valuable than the artists' recent works.
The 89-year-old Wang doesn't like to sell his works so they don't pop up on the market very often. According to Richard Chang, owner of Galerie Grand Siecle, it took a while for him to persuade Wang to join the show, and even when he acquiesced, it was only out of his respect for the other artists.
Wang's style is minimal, sober and ethereal. There's a sense of perseverance in the layers of quiet colors which reflect the strength of the artist and his determination to withstand the vicissitudes of life. Viewers are enticed into lingering around his paintings, admiring the beauty of desolation which they convey.
Wang is a bit of a cult figure in Taiwan, especially in Yilan, where his secluded lifestyle stirs up enough mystery to make him a name known in many households. His large, old -- and expensive -- works are a rarity to exhibitions, yet the doyen of the Taiwan arts world is willing to give them away. For example, at one time the Yilan Cultural Center wanted to purchase some pieces but Wang insisted on donating them and then asked the center to buy the works of young artists instead.
For this exhibit, the gallery owner particularly recommends the piece titled Kuishan Tao (
The 80-year-old Chu left Taiwan in 1955 for France, where he became a highly reputed artist, holding more than 200 exhibitions during the next 40 years. It was a career of creativity that, among other things, earned him an honorary membership last year in Academia Francais, a multi-disciplinary think-tank similar to Taiwan's Academia Sinica. Chu's excellent use of coloration has prompted his peers and critics to dub him "the magician of colors." Indeed, looking at his paintings is sometimes like peeping through a kaleidoscope -- the colors surge and flow like a piece of orchestra music, full of a passion for life.
The artist combines the techniques of Western and Chinese paintings. He uses Chinese calligraphy and ink but the lines are bold and flowing, heavily influenced by Western abstract paintings.
Zao has gained international renown, a true master who is able to mix feelings of both unsettlement and ease in his paintings. A high-profile figure, he is regarded by many as the first Chinese to gain international acclaim as a painter. Chang says Zao puts out 12 paintings per year which are bought by European collectors in countries such as Spain, Switzerland and France.
Compared to Chu's abstract paintings, Zao's paintings are far more subtle in their presentation of lines and dots, conveying the temperament of classical Asia. There is an abundant poetic ambience in his works that critics have interpreted as conveying feelings of freedom and suspension. Paul Klee and Cezanne are two European artists that have influenced how Zao developed his style.
Most of Chu's works seen in Taiwan are his more recent ones. His early works, such as those displayed at the gallery, are mostly in the hands of European collectors, who have loaned them to this exhibit.
Although the general public is invited to the show, the gallery is trying to target collectors with a keen interest in these masters and deep pockets. Prices for the paintings on exhibit start at NT$200,000.
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