Lot 653: WANG HUAIQING

WANG HUAIQING B.1944 THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE. BIDNOW ONLINE BIDDING SERVICE IS NOT AVALIABLE. PORTRAIT OF A STOOL signed in Chinese (lower right) Executed in 1999 oil on canvas 131 by 145.5 cm.; 51 5/8 by 57 1/4 in.

Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Wang Huaiqing - A Painter's Painter in Contemporary China, November 2010 - April 2011

Wang Huaiqing - A Painter's Painter in Contemporary China, Seattle Art Museum, 2010, Ediciones Poligrafa and Seattle Art Museum, pp.194, 195
Wang Huaiqing, Wang Huaiqing, Beijing, 2004, p.114

Private Asian Collection

An important representative of China's Contemporary art scene, Wang Huaiqing, was greatly inspired and enlightened by his mentor Wu Guanzhong in his early years at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. According to Michael Sullivan, "Wu Guanzhong...had taught people not to be afraid of Abstraction, for abstract beauty is all around us in nature, and indeed in the world that we have created for ourselves. Surely it was his influence that inspired Wang Huaiqing to take the next step in his artistic development. Wu Guanzhong had discovered the beauty of the white-walled and grey-tiled houses of the Jiangnan region. Wang Huaiqing takes us inside." [1]

In the mid-1980s, Wang Huaiqing developed his simplified style and use of classic black and white colours to depict semi-abstract paintings of traditional Jiangnan houses. Through the richness of feeling and strong sense of history in each painting, Wang's artistic concept resonates strongly with viewers. In the 1990s, Wang moved from the exterior to the interior as he began to look at traditional Ming Dynasty furniture as the subject matter of this work. His meticulously painted and non-decorative traditional tables and chairs are imbued with the essence of Chinese wisdom. The work in this sale, Portrait of a Stool (Lot 653) is a masterpiece by Wang Huaiqing from the 1990s. In this painting, the artist has bravely depicted a slightly distorted and enlarged traditional style of stool, occupying almost the whole composition. In the strong, black, wooden structure, Wang has used undulating curves and natural flowing lines to construct the form of the composition. In contrast, the simple, mottled, white wall space in the background creates a subtle tension in the painting, allowing the stool to feature prominently. The succinct elegance of this work, rich in abstraction, is steeped in Chinese cultural wisdom and Eastern cultural aesthetics. Portrait of a Stool has been included in important publications such as Wang Huaiqing – A Painter's Painter in Contemporary China, published by the Seattle Art Museum in 2010. The appearance on the market of a masterpiece of this caliber by Wang Huaiqing provides a rare opportunity for collectors.

[1]Michael Sullivan, "Preface", in Wang Huaiqing – A Painter's Painter in Contemporary China, Edicionés Poligrafa & Seattle Art Museum, p.5