Teh-Chun Chu combines Asian and Western painting techniques and pictorial concepts in his work. Since there is no perspective in Asian painting, he instead conveys a different visual experience in his landscape paintings by means of free line and composition.
After moving to Paris in 1955, a visit to an exhibition by Nicolas de Staël marked a turning point in Chu’s artistic career: he applied the traditional technique of ink drawing to oil painting. He also diluted the oil paint he applied to the canvas to create the bleaching effect of the paper used in Chinese painting. Nature unfolds in Teh-Chun Chu’s paintings in a manner which distorts the viewer’s expectations of horizon and perspective. His poetic expression of the vastness in nature opens up new realms of abstract painting.
Teh-Chun Chu (1920–2014)
Untitled, 1966
Currently exhibited: No
Material: Oil on canvas
Size: 120 x 120 cm
Inv-Nr.: B_364
Image rights: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Keywords:
Previous owner: Galerie Raeber, Lucerne; Galerie Latzer, Kreuzlingen, until 1967; private collection
Acquisition: Reinhard Ernst Collection, Christie’s, Paris, 2016
Solo exhibition:
1967
‘Chu Teh-Chun’, Galerie Raeber, Lucerne, Switzerland
Central perspective has dominated landscape painting in the Western world since it was first discovered. However, there is no perspective in Asian painting. Traditional ink painting on silk or rice paper conveys a different visual experience by means of free line and composition. Teh-Chun Chu combines Asian and Western techniques and pictorial concepts in his work.
After moving to Paris in 1955, a visit to an exhibition by Nicolas de Staël marked a turning point in Chu’s artistic career. Staël’s free brushwork inspired him to paint in an increasingly abstract manner: he applied the traditional technique of ink drawing to oil painting. He also diluted the oil paint he applied to the canvas to create the bleaching effect of the paper used in Chinese painting. He started using broad, expressive brushstrokes, creating vast, unfamiliar landscapes that drew inspiration from his deep knowledge of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Nature unfolds in Teh-Chun Chu’s paintings in a manner which distorts the viewer’s expectations of horizon and perspective. His poetic expression of the vastness in nature opens up new realms of abstract painting.
A year after his move, Teh-Chun Chu received the silver medal of the Salon des Artistes Français, earning him a permanent place in the French art scene. With major exhibitions in Europe, the U.S. and China, the artist established himself as one of the most important Chinese abstract expressionists. In 1997 he was honored by the Académie des Beaux-Arts de France and accepted as a member.
