JU MING

(1938-2023)

Taichi Series – Golden Rooster Standing

Footnotes

The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by NPO Juming Culture & Education Foundation.

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the previous owner
Private Collection
Sale: Christie's, Hong Kong, Chinese 20th Century Art, 25 November 2007, Lot 292
Private Collection, Asia
Sale: Christie's, Hong Kong, Asian 20th Century Art (Day Sale), 27 November 2011, Lot 1182
Acquired from the above by the present owner

朱銘
太極系列 - 金鷄獨立
木雕
1991年作

簽名：朱銘 91 （刻於底部）

此作品附財團法人朱銘文教基金會開立之作品保證書

來源
前藏家直接得自藝術家
私人收藏
拍賣：香港，佳士得，「中國二十世紀」，2007年11月25日，拍品編號 292
亞洲私人收藏
拍賣：香港，佳士得，「亞洲二十世紀藝術 (日間拍賣)」，2011年11月27日，拍品編號 1182
現藏家得自上述來源

Ju Ming: Entering the Dao Through Form, Embodying the Spirit of the East

Ju Ming's achievements in contemporary sculpture are epitomized by his celebrated Taichi Series. Since its debut in 1978, the series has not only established his reputation as a leading figure in Asian modern sculpture but also become a powerful symbol of Chinese art's international presence. Among its most iconic works, Golden Rooster Standing encapsulates the Taichi philosophy of "motion within stillness, strength within softness," revealing a profound synthesis of Eastern thought and modern sculptural language.

Ju Ming did not merely replicate martial postures in form; he practiced Taichi himself, internalizing its principle of energy flowing "from within to without." To him, sculpture transcended visual representation; it was the embodiment of life's breath and the natural flow of qi, an artistic realization of harmony between man and nature. Each work in the Taichi Series therefore captures not only physical movement but also the latent tension that precedes motion, expressing a spiritual force poised to unfold.

Completed in 1991 and carved in wood, Taichi Series – Golden Rooster Standing exemplifies Ju Ming's sharp, confident sculptural idiom. One leg stands firmly grounded, the other raised and bent; both arms extend outward like a rooster spreading its wings before striking. The form is concise yet powerful, its bold chisel marks revealing rhythmic variations of texture and force. The sculpture seems to pulse with energy; the body's inner strength held in suspension. This frozen moment embodies a "poetics of anticipation"—a sense of time before motion—resonating with early twentieth-century Futurism's fascination with movement and temporality yet rooted deeply in Eastern philosophy that values stillness as the source of power.

Throughout his creative process, Ju Ming progressively eliminated superfluous detail, pursuing a state of "the unity of mind and hand". With simplicity and precision, he translated the Taichi principles of evenness, softness, and circularity into sculptural qualities of gravity, clarity, and balance. His spatial sensibility also redefined the experience of sculpture, inviting viewers to engage from multiple perspectives as light and shadow shift across surfaces. Under illumination, the sculpture casts sharp contrasts that heighten the interplay of motion and stillness, infusing the work with rhythmic vitality.

In this masterpiece, Ju Ming reaches the full maturity of his sculptural language—a perfect confluence of form and philosophy. Beyond recreating the gestures of Taichi, he channels its inner spirit, transforming tangible form into a vessel of invisible energy. Through this series, Ju Ming achieved a living expression of modern Eastern aesthetics—grounded, spiritual, and timeless.

朱銘：以形入道，氣蘊東方

朱銘在當代雕塑藝術的成就，最為人稱道的莫過於其「太極系列」。自1978年發表以來，此系列不僅奠定了他作為亞洲當代雕塑領航者的地位，更成為華人藝術走向國際的重要象徵。「金雞獨立」作為其中經典之一，充分凝練了太極拳中「以靜制動、剛柔並濟」的精神，展現東方哲思與現代雕塑語彙的完美融合。

朱銘並非只是在形式上複製太極拳的招式，而是親身修習拳術，深入體會其中「由內而外、氣脈貫通」的內涵。對他而言，雕塑創作不止於視覺形象的再現，而是生命與自然之氣的承載，是「天人合一」的實踐。於是太極系列中的每件作品，不僅展現出動作的瞬間，更傳達出一種潛藏於體內、欲動未動的氣勢與精神。

《太極系列－金雞獨立》完成於1991年，採用木雕為媒材，呈現朱銘一貫俐落且帶有雕刻痕跡的造型語彙。一足獨立於地，一足彎曲提起，雙臂向前後舒展，如雄雞抖翎，蓄勢待發。整體造型簡練而穩健，粗獷刀痕勾勒出肌理與動勢的層次變化，使觀者彷彿可感受到雕體中盤旋未出的勁力。這一瞬的凝結，亦是一種「未動先勢起」的美學時間感，與20世紀初義大利未來主義對運動與時間的探討不謀而合，卻又更貼近東方以氣為本、以靜制動的哲學視角。

在創作過程中，朱銘不斷摒棄繁瑣細節，追求「心手合一」的境界。他以簡馭繁，藉由精準的造型與材質的肌理效果，將太極「勻、慢、柔、圓」的動律轉化為雕塑的「重、簡、靜、張」。此外，太極系列的空間意識亦體現朱銘突破傳統雕塑觀賞方式的企圖。他強調多角度的觀賞經驗，並善用光影與空間互動，使雕像在自然與都市環境中均能展現不同的面貌與層次。《太極系列－金雞獨立》的姿態在光線照射下產生強烈陰影對比，更加強了動與靜之間的視覺張力與節奏感。

在《太極系列－金雞獨立》中，朱銘展現了其雕塑語言的高度成熟與東方哲思的融合。他不僅重現了太極拳的經典姿態，更透過簡練有力的構圖與刀痕，捕捉動作轉瞬之間的氣勢與張力。作品形式與精神並進，強調氣韻流動與動靜相生的美感，令人感受到雕塑不僅是外形的塑造，更是意念與內在力量的傳達。朱銘透過這一系列，成功地以具象形式承載抽象精神，創造出富有生命力與時代感的現代東方美學。