signed GAO XINGJIAN and dated 2013

Asia Art Center, Taipei

Taiwan, Taipei, Asia Art Center, The Edge of Reality - Gao Xingjian Solo Exhibition, 29 June - 28 July, 2013

Overall in very good condition. Framed size without Plexiglas: 64.8 x 77.7 cm; 25 1/2 x 30 5/8 in.
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This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the Asia Art Center.

Gao Xingjian—the world celebrated novelist, playwright, translator and first Chinese-born writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000—is a multidisciplinary master of both the written word and the art of Chinese ink. Many of his paintings explore ideas of isolation and solitude, portraying infinite landscapes and lone figures against vast, barren terrains. Focusing on the monochromatic tones of ink, Gao’s paintings are imbued with a unique spatial depth and his signature ‘inner visi♉on’; rather than attempting actual depth of field, the artist aims for ‘depth visualised from within’  resulting in a composition of contemplation.

Snow (Lot 2894) is an abstract landscape ink painting on canvas. Under the tutelage of his father, Gao studied drawing, watercolour, sculpture, Chinese calligraphy and European oil painting from a young age. In the past decade, he pushes the boundaries of the ink medium through exploration of its effects on canvas. In contrast to the absorbent and often transparent properties of xuan paper🌄, those of canvas provide unique textural elements that enhance the contrast between light and dark, adding fresh intensity to the artist’s introspective paintings.