Lot 930: Cosmos

WANG DONGLING (B. 1945) Cosmos Scroll, mounted and framed Ink on paper 95 x 178 cm. (37 3/8 x 70 in.) Executed in 2014

95 x 178 cm.

Inspired by Chinese philosophy, Wang Dongling's contemporary calligraphy works are results of meditation and expression of his physical energy. Wang takes on the literal meaning of yuan xiang, the Chinese title of the work that denotes spherical appearances, to create abstract composition with circular shapes through his gestural calligraphic brushwork. The term originally comes from an Eastern Han poem by Lu Zhan, in which the poet states that the "continuous movement of the sky orbit (yuan xiang) slowly forms the face of the earth (fang yi)". The Chinese have long associated the shape of a circle (yuan) with the celestial world and that of a square (fang) with the earth; thus these two geometric shapes are embedded with ample symbolic meanings in Chinese beliefs, art and literature.