Zao Wou-Ki Untitled

Etching and aquatint, 1978

Limited edition of 99 (83/99)

Published by Galerie de France (Paris)

Printed by Atelier Lacourière et Frélaut (Paris)

Catalogue: Agerup 298, p.164

75.50 cm × 56.00 cm (sheet size)

49.50 cm × 43.00 cm (image size)

Signed in pencil

Certificate of authenticity included

Condition: Excellent

Rives BFK paper

Two very faint foxing spots in the margin

Artwork Description

In the 1970s, Zao Wou-Ki was highly prolific not only in oil painting but also in printmaking. This work, utilizing advanced printmaking techniques of etching and aquatint, masterfully expresses his unique lyrical abstract world.

The screen unfolds a vast space where light and shadow gently intermingle.

The dense areas of black and deep brown appear like rock faces or storm clouds, while the lightly spreading bright areas evoke the presence of mist or light.

However, there is no clear landscape depiction.

Zao Wou-Ki did not aim to reproduce nature,

but rather to depict the energy and breath of nature itself.

The delicately layered etched lines and aquatint particles, encompassing both serendipity and intentional structure, imbue the image with rich depth.

Despite being a print, there is a fluidity as if ink is bleeding into paper, revealing a spirituality akin to Chinese calligraphy and ink painting.

At the same time, the composition of space exhibits the dynamism of Western abstract painting, naturally merging two cultures: East and West.

The form of "Untitled," without a title, is also significant.

Zao Wou-Ki avoided fixing specific meanings or narratives to his works, choosing instead to entrust them to the individual sensations and memories of the viewer.

Therefore, this work also evokes different images depending on the viewer, such as:

• Earth
• Cosmos
• Light
• Water
• Wind
• Inner landscape

This print, where tranquility and intensity coexist, is an excellent work that delicately and powerfully demonstrates the core of Zao Wou-Ki's art:

"the attempt to paint the invisible."

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