Footnotes

Provenance:
Private collection, France

This work is accompanied by a photo-certificate of authenticity issued by Chu Ching-Chao from the Atelier Chu Teh-Chun, Paris, and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné

朱德群　No. 96　水粉紙本　鏡框　一九六一年作

簽名：朱德群 CHU TEH-CHUN
背面簽名：CHU TEH-CHUN 朱德群 No. 96 1961

來源：
法國私人收藏

此作附朱德群巴黎工作室Chu Ching-Chao前述保證書，作品將會收錄在隨後出版的《目錄全集》中

At the early age of fifteen, Chu Teh-Chun started his formal study of classical Chinese ink painting at the National Hangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Under the tutelage of Lin Fengmian who was inspired by Modernism and urged a synthesis of Chinese and European painting styles, Chu Teh-Chun was introduced to modern European masters and their techniques, notably Paul Cézanne whose works would have a profound influence. Throughout his artistic career Chu Teh-Chun would rely on traditional Chinese aesthetic principles while using European media.

A case in point, No. 96 from 1961, shows a mastery of traditional Chinese brushwork while employing gouache. As a European water-based medium, gouache allows a wide range of possibilities from opacity to transparency, similar to traditional Chinese ink. By 1961, Chu Teh-Chun was stylistically shifting from figurative realism to abstraction, but he was also rediscovering his spiritual sources in Chinese painting. The compact central element seems inspired by the monumental, vertical landscapes from the Northern Song dynasty, with impressive towering cliffs and successive peaks. The warm brown shades provide an earthy feel, with the streak of white gouache in the center evoking a cascading waterfall. The paler washes at the top and bottom imbue this "mountain" in an ethereal, surreal atmosphere. Against the formless washes, the thin black strokes recall a calligraphic inscription, endowing the composition with rhythm and creating a captivating tension. Taken as a whole, this fascinating work demonstrates a successful synthesis of different traditions, as well as revealing the metaphysical landscapes created in the abstract art of Chu Teh-Chun.

朱德群十五歲開始在國立杭州藝術專科學校學習中國傳統水墨畫，同時從當時的老師認識西方的藝術家；其中，保羅·塞尚的作品對他的風格有很大的影響。朱德群在這幅1961年的作品中採用像傳統水墨的水粉，給予他探索顏色深淺和透明度的自由，顯現他駕馭水墨的能力。從這幅畫可見，朱德群1961年放下寫實主義，開始邁向抽象的風格，但同時又回到中國傳統畫的本質。此作整體像宋朝的山水畫，特別是范寬的作品，棕色的筆觸如屹立的山峰和懸崖，中間夾了一道白痕就像山邊的瀑布。朱德群用較柔和的顏色圍繞著作品中的風景，產生一個夢幻飄渺的氣氛，彷彿在光色中飄浮。在此優美自然的景色前，朱德群畫上數道書法般的鮮明黑筆跡，加上了一個律動，造出引人入勝的張力。這幅畫所洋溢的動感和力量可以媲
美心跳，作品的輪廓和空間均與觀者產生共鳴，是朱德群早期迷人虛境創作中，頗為出色的範例。