Zao Wou-Ki Untitled

Etching, aquatint, 1971

Edition: 14/99

Publisher: Galerie de France (Paris)

Printer: Lacourière et Frélaut (Paris)

Catalogue raisonné: [Agerup 214]

56.00 × 76.00 cm (sheet size)
42.50 × 57.70 cm (image size)

Signed by the artist in pencil
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity
Good condition

On Arches paper
Very slight foxing on paper

Artwork description

This work is a beautifully condensed example of the characteristic printmaking expression of Zao Wou-Ki in the early 1970s. Dense ink spreads across the foreground as bold planes, while behind it, lighter,溶け込むような colors are layered. This contrast of "dense" and "light" can be considered the origin of the spatial expression that would become a key feature in Zao Wou-Ki's later prints.

Olive and vermilion colors overlap in a horizontal movement, creating a sense of inner energy and fluidity within the quiet composition. The colors do not clash but dissolve into each other as if breathing, forming a poetic world that abstractly represents natural landscapes and atmospheric changes.

The soft gradations created by aquatint produce delicate blurs reminiscent of sumi-e ink and watercolor, beautifully fusing Eastern sensibility for negative space with Western abstract expression. Viewers are not encouraged to search for concrete forms but to feel the rhythm of color and space itself.

This piece is a significant work that showcases the mature abstract world Zao Wou-Ki achieved in the 1970s, imbued with a unique spirituality where tranquility and dynamism coexist.