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Zao Wou-Ki

Lyrical abstraction, Calligraphy, Secon School of Paris

(Pékin, 1920 – Nyon, 2013)

Zao Wou Ki, born in Beijing in 1920, starts to draw and paint at the age of ten. In 1935, barely aged fifteen, he succeeds entrance examination to School of Beaux-Arts in Hangzhou. During six years, he studies western pictorials technics as drawing and oil painting, and traditional Chinese technics as calligraphy.

Zao Wou Ki presents a first exhibition in 1941 in China before leaving for France. The painter settled in Paris in 1948. The impressionism of Matisse and Picasso already attracted him when he was in Beaux Arts in Hangzhou. His arrival in Paris is a complete revelation for him. Zao Wou Ki is quick associated to New School of Paris in the 1950’s and frequents Academie de la Grande Chaumière et Beaux Arts. His artwork is vast, from realism of his first paintings – principally portraits, landscapes and still-life painting in 1935-1949 – to oil on canvas inspired by Paul Klee, large format close to abstraction in the 1950’s.

During these years, Zao Wou Ki frequents Pierre Soulage, Hartung, Giacometti and Vieira da Silva. In 1949, Zao Wou Ki discovers lithography technic. The same year, he presents his first exhibition at the Galerie Creuze in Paris. In 1950, the poet Henri Michaux wrote a text about his first lithography.

In 1951 Zao Wou Ki discovers for the first time the artwork of Paul Klee during a exhibition of the painter in Switzerland (Berne). This discovers marks a turning point in his artwork that becomes radically close to Abstraction. In 1952, Zao Wou Ki organises some exhibitions in Switzerland (Bale, Lausanne and Zurich). The artist is in keeping with a trend that encourages artists to abstract experimentations. His idea is to create an art as a visual experience.

From 1953 to 1955, many exhibitions are prepared in France and Europe, and the Gallery Kootz in New York organised is first exhibition in United – States in 1959. The Galerie de France dedicated to him two personal exhibitions (in 1960 and in 1963). Zao Wou Ki paints huge formats with glaring colours and compositions that show a more puissant gestural. Zao Wou Ki never titles his paintings, just with the date of the creation, with the exception of his painting Homage to Matisse, in honour of his pink and blue and his geometrical compositions.

Since 1960, Zao Wou-Ki creates a painting close to Lyrical Abstraction, and becomes one of the most renowned ambassadors. He spent his life to scan forms and senses. Seeking for absolute, Zao Wou-Ki confines landscapes in colours. His painting is the synthesis between the technic of his far east heritage and his poetical and plastically ambition of western Lyrical Abstraction. Zao Wou-Ki is associated to Lyrical Abstraction, pictorial movement in opposition with Constructivism or Geometrical Abstraction that show simple geometrical forms. Whereas Lyrical Abstraction is the personal expression of the painter, his emotion through a gestural painting. Lyrical Abstraction is attached to Informal Art that reunites all abstracts and gestural trends and developed in Paris after the Second World War.

In 1962, Zao Wou-Ki creates the lithography for the Tentation de l'Occident by André Malraux. The minister of foreign office will help Zao Wou-Ki in 1964 to obtain French nationality.

In 1971, Zao Wou-Ki renews with indian ink on paper and calligraphy. The indian ink allows him to reinterpret abstraction according to chinese movement and space conception. During 1970’s, Zao Wou-Ki creates his principals masterpieces and stays apart from artistic trends to confirm and intensify his link with Lyrical Abstraction.

In his compositions, coloured masses give substance to dream world, where light structures the painting. There is a forms and colours explosion. During his entire life, Zao Wou-Ki alternated oil on canvas, engraving, calligraphy and indian ink, always seeking for distant inspirations and new technic and plastic discoveries.

In 1972 – 1973, Zao Wou-Ki came back in China and started very huge formats. His poetical compositions attest the meeting between West and East, and show the dream of a non-existent but reachable landscapes.

In 1980, Zao Wou-Ki is nominated professor of wall painting at National Higher School of Decorative Arts. In 1984, he is promoted Officer of the Legion d’Honneur and becomes Commandeer ten years after. In 2002, Zao Wou-Ki became Member of Beaux Arts Academy. 

 

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