Lot 132: Cage

Xu Lei (b. 1963) Cage signed in Chinese (lower right) ink and mineral colour on paper image size: 64 x 50 cm. (25 1/4 x 19 5/8 in.) paper size: 77.3 x 63 cm. (30 x 3/8 x 24 3/4 in.) Painted in 1990s

64 x 50 cm.

Acquired directly from the artist in 2000 Private Collection, USA

In the beginning of the 20th century, Lin Fengmian integrated the humanistic mood of traditional Chinese ink paintings into the Cubism and Expressionism of Western modernism and thus created a new era in art history. Lin visualised the titles of philosophical texts to bring metaphoric meanings to animal themes in traditional Chinese bird-and-flower ink paintings. Conversely, Xu Lei, as a pioneer of the new Chinese school of meticulous ink and contemporary ink paintings, sought out the moods and painting techniques of the Song and Ming dynasties. He pondered the concepts and structures of Chinese architecture and gardens. He furthermore gained insights into modern art by reading the works of Western masters such as Ren Magritte, Yves Klein, and Marcel Duchamp. To confound preconceptions of 'dense and thin, dry and wet, black and white' in the viewer of Chinese ink paintings, Xu uses traditional mineral pigments and works on ripe rice paper or silk, enabling the viewer to notice the disappearance of classical layers and strokes. Xu Lei utilises traditional Chinese realistic painting techniques of outlining, colouring, multiple-dyeing and rendering, but combines them with the experimental methods of surrealist Ren Magritte, resulting in a style of his own. In doing so, he is able to arrange common, everyday items in an unconventional way, such that the constraints of time and space are stripped away, transporting the observer to a land of reverie where reality and illusion co-exist. With a precise eye for detail and a deep understanding of life coupled with his delicate, poetic brushwork, Xu Lei's meticulously structured work puts the viewers' mind at ease while they enjoy this visual feast, indulging them with a sense of inner peace. It also grants the viewer philosophical insight that originates from the Song dynasty, whereby, one examines phenomena in nature to better understand the essence of life. Xu Lei builds his themes around everyday objects, like horses, birds, and chairs rather than humans. The lack of human interaction with these objects invokes a unique sense of visual pleasure. Hence, this kind of restrained and subtle aesthetics removes the burdens of the real world from the observer's mind. The subject is framed by half-closed drapery on either side, isolating the audience from the painting. Whether the drapery is open or closed is left ambiguous, setting the stage for a story to unfold that arouses the imagination. The Chinese style bird cage subtly reminds the viewer of bird watching, a hobby popular amongst ancient Chinese literati. The fact that the cage is empty leads the observer to reflect on the uncertain and illusory nature of life.