William Turner (Joseph Mallord William Turner R.A.) is considered one of the first artists to paint outdoors. His exploration of light and shadow, and his reverence for the landscape, changed the way people see the world. This year marks the 250th anniversary of this great artist's birth, with a series of celebratory exhibitions and events taking place in the UK and around the world.Christie’s Hong Kong will also present Turner’s The Grand Bridge at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire for the first time in Asia at its 20th Century Day Sale in September.

In celebration of Turner's birthday, the exhibition explores the interpretations of the same theme by artists from different periods and cultural backgrounds through the lens of light, shadow and colour, through masterpieces by modern and contemporary masters from China and the West, including Zao Wou-Ki, Wu Guanzhong, Chu Teh-Chun and Fernando Zobel, seeking the flowing poetry in the abstract shifts of colour.

Joseph William Turner R.A.

(London, 1775-1851)

Blenheim Palace and Bridge, Oxfordshire

Watercolor on paper

30.1 x 46.3 cm.

Estimate: HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000

Painted in 1830, "Blenheim Palace and Bridge, Oxfordshire" demonstrates Turner's profound understanding of watercolor through its expressive style and vibrant hues, precise coloring, and assured brushstrokes. Blocks of yellow, brown, and blue appear to jump out of the water, yet they are harmoniously connected by the solubility of watercolor, creating a rhythmic depth of field. He expertly employs the grain of the paper and the side of his brush to create a unique texture, confidently depicting the varying qualities of the trees, bridge, lake, and sky. This work demonstrates Turner's mastery of color and his understanding of capturing light and shaping atmosphere.

Turner painted several watercolors for Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. These watercolors, including the present lot, are part of Turner's "Colour Beginnings" series, which explores the artist's explorations of color and brushwork. Two other watercolors of the same subject are part of the Turner Bequest collection at Tate Britain. The "Colour Beginnings" series is extremely rare on the market, with most examples held at Tate Britain.

Turner is also highly regarded in Asia. The Pudong Art Museum hosted the special exhibition “Turner in Conversation: Echoes of the Sublime,” loaned by the Tate Modern. The exhibition is now on tour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei (from now until October 12).

Landscape painting, a core theme of Chinese art, has long emphasized the grandeur of spirit and the unity of nature and humanity. In the Western context, however, the concept of using scenery to express emotion only began to take hold in the 16th century and was further refined in the 19th. With the rise of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, Western landscape painting began to explore how to use painting to distance people from their fast-paced lives, allowing them to recognize their insignificance and ultimately achieve spiritual enlightenment. Turner's mastery of color, light capture, and atmosphere has profoundly influenced numerous Asian artists.

This season's 20th Century Day Sale will feature works by masters such as Zao Wou-Ki, Wu Guanzhong, Chu Teh-Chun, and Fernando Zobel. Whether expressing nostalgia or landscape through the medium of light and color, they resonate beautifully with Turner's "poetry of light."

Zao Wou-Ki

Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013)

Bridge over Flowing Water

Oil on canvas

46 x 55 cm.

Created in 1955

Estimate: HK$6,000,000 - 9,000,000

Beginning in 1954, Zao Wou-Ki began exploring the transition from figurative to abstract, incorporating symbols from traditional Chinese culture, such as oracle bone inscriptions and bronze ornamentation, into his paintings, imbuing them with a poetic sense of time and space. "Bridge over Flowing Water," created in 1955, represents a significant transition from the flat construction of linear symbols to the exploration of three-dimensional space, and is a classic example of the oracle bone inscription period.

Zao Wou-Ki's rare Chinese signature on the back of the painting, titled "Small Bridges and Flowing Water," may be a reference to the line "small bridges, flowing water, and people's homes" from the Yuan Dynasty poet Ma Zhiyuan's "Autumn Thoughts in the Clear Sky." In this work, the artist concretizes literary poetry while imbuing the abstract image with rich emotion. Abstract textual symbols and sparse blocks of color converge and disappear across the canvas, evoking a nostalgia for cultural roots and his childhood home in Hangzhou, where he studied. This work, along with other narrative-rich works created in the same year, such as "Homage to Qu Yuan," "My Father's Garden," "Chinatown," and "The Drowned City," chart the artist's path to crescendo.

The work also has a well-established provenance, originating from Pierre Loeb, Zao Wou-Ki's collaborative gallery in Paris in the 1950s. It has been in the collection of the current owner for over 15 years before reappearing on the market, making it a truly rare and precious piece.

Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013)

Untitled

Watercolor and ink on paper, mounted on canvas

75.7 x 56.5 cm.

Created in 1964

Estimate: 700,000 - 1,200,000

Zao Wou-Ki's abstract works skillfully blend the spirit of Eastern ink painting with the techniques of Western Abstract Expressionism. Using diluted pigments, he creates a layered, fluid effect, reminiscent of a landscape, reminiscent of Turner's "wet-on-wet" technique. Furthermore, Turner's pursuit of a "sublime" aesthetic resonates profoundly with the tranquil atmosphere and cosmic sense conveyed in Zao Wou-Ki's works, demonstrating the fusion and continuity of Eastern and Western artistic spirits.

Chu Teh-Chun

Chu Teh-Chun (1920–2014)

Untitled

Oil on canvas

130 x 195 cm.

Created in 1981

Estimate: HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000

Chu Teh-Chun's works often display dreamlike layers of light, shadow, and color, creating a cosmic sense of space through color and brushstroke. Untitled, created in 1981, was first publicly unveiled and is considered a significant milestone in his mature period of the 1980s, a key example of his stylistic evolution during that period. The dynamic, flowing brushstrokes crisscross the canvas, demonstrating the revolutionary oil painting techniques developed through a decade of intensive exploration of Chinese ink painting, resulting in an ethereal and airy aesthetic.

Chu Teh-Chun (1920-2014)

Reflections of Spring

Oil on canvas

116 x 90 cm.

Created in 1993

Estimate: HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000

Chu Teh-Chun's abstract landscapes are often described as "poetic meditations." Although he never explicitly cited Turner as his inspiration when he began his abstract work in the 1960s, his use of light, shadow, and color resonates profoundly with Turner's Romantic landscapes.

"Reflections of Spring" from 1993 is one of the representatives of this style. The flowing colors and dreamy light and shadow in the picture are intertwined, as if using modern language to start an artistic dialogue with Turner across time and space.

Wu Guanzhong

Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)

Water Town

Oil on canvas

Created in 1990

Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000

Wu Guanzhong, born and raised in Yixing, Jiangsu, has traveled extensively throughout the country sketching, but he remains captivated by the Jiangnan region that nurtured him. He particularly loves the Jiangnan region in early spring—a hazy, translucent, cool gray hue suffuses the landscape, creating a tranquil rhythm of ink painting against the white walls. Dots of red, yellow, blue, and green dance through these, which Wu Guanzhong describes as "inlaid gems," quietly sprouting greenery and flitting human figures, imbuing the canvas with a sense of the mundane. These vibrant dots occupy a mere fraction of the silvery-gray palette, yet their intense concentration allows them to blend seamlessly, creating a rhythmic rhythm within the painting, which later evolved into his distinctive artistic signature. "Water Town" not only showcases the artist's poetic fusion of abstract points, lines, and surfaces, but also represents his deep emotional connection to the culture of his homeland.

While there's no direct record of Wu Guanzhong being influenced by Turner, he was exposed to a wide range of Western art during his studies in France, including Impressionism and Modernism. He once described himself as "a snake swallowing an elephant," symbolizing his integration of Western painting techniques (such as color and composition) into the spirit of Chinese ink painting. This fusion resonated deeply with Turner's exploration of the boundary between nature and abstraction.

Fernando Sowell

Fernando Sowell (1924-1984)

New Canaan I

Oil on canvas

76.2 x 76.2 cm.

Created in 1962

Estimate: HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000

As a key work from his "Serie Negra" series, "New Canaan I" embodies Sowell's in-depth exploration of Abstract Expressionism. Born in the Philippines and educated in the United States, of Spanish descent, Sowell's art is considered a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. He has a particular fondness for Chinese calligraphy, drawing rich inspiration from it.

As an art traveler, traveling between books and museums, Sowell meticulously studied masterpieces with sketchbooks and ink, transforming his observations and impressions into abstract artistic expression. His lifelong dedication to painting has consistently grounded his artistic practice in cross-cultural dialogue. Among his many influences, Turner stands out. He was captivated by Turner's exquisite use of light, particularly his unique way of creating a sense of space and atmosphere through layering. This technique profoundly inspired Sowell's exploration of monochromatic colors and layering in his own abstract works.

Turner masterpieces, along with many other highlights from the 20th and 21st Century auctions, will be previewed in Taipei on August 23rd and 24th, followed by Shanghai and Beijing in September. We welcome you to visit and experience these cross-century masterpieces by masters of both Eastern and Western art up close.

Taipei Preview

August 23 and 24, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Dopeness Art Lab｜No. 170, Section 2, Keelung Road, Da'an District, Taipei City

Shanghai Preview

September 4 and 5, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Christie’s Shanghai | 4th Floor, No. 1 Zhongshan East 1st Road, Huangpu District

Beijing Preview

September 8 and 9, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Christie’s Beijing | 1st Floor, 82 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District

auction

Hong Kong 20th & 21st Century Evening Sale | September 26

Hong Kong 20th & 21st Century Day Sale | September 27

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