ZHONG CHENG

Zhong Cheng 2024 Autumn Auction「Modern And Contemporary Art」

  • Zhong Cheng 2015 Autumn Auction「Morden And Contemporary Art」
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    TANAKA ATSUKO (1932-2005)

    83D

    1983

    Synthetic Polymer Paint on Canvas
    100x80cm

    Titled and signed Tanaka Atsuko in English, dated 1983

    Estimate TWD 7,200,000-8,500,000
    USD 222,900-263,200
    HKD 0-0

    Hammer Price TWD 9,600,000
    USD 291,882
    HKD 2,248,244

Provenance：

Illustrated：

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Exposition：

“I pay deep respect to the Gutai art group and I believe within the group are four artists that deserve international recognition. They are Kazuo Shiraga, Shimamoto Shozo, Yoshihara Jiro and Atsuko Tanaka” 
--- Michael Tapie   

The Gutai art group was founded in Japan’s postwar period in 1954. It is inclusive of styles from the unrestrained European abstraction to traditional Japanese aesthetics. Emphasis is placed on artistic independency, rejecting conventional limitations and challenges traditional concept of freedom. Gutai replaced doctrinal creative approach with innovative and bold expressions. The members include the founder of the group Yoshihara Jiro, Shimamoto Shozo, known as the “foot painter” Kazuo Shiraga and the only female artist Atsuko Tanaka. In 1965, for the second Gutai art exhibition Tanaka appeared in a dress consists of electrical wires and lit up neon colored lightbulbs, a creation she titled Electric Dress.             
 
At an early age of twenty-four, Tanaka’s Electric Dress was bold and avant-garde taking the art scene away by storm. She breaks away from the restrictions of materials and showcase her object in its purest form. Her creation further accentuates the object’s property of shape and color, reflecting the beauty and success of achieving the unknown territory. Her practice represents the very heart of Gutai “The artist is not trying to change the spirit of the material; rather to help the material’s individuality to shine through.” The florescent bulbs lit up the artist’s face in various colors, and also predicted the future of “Performance Art”, “Kinetic Art”, “Concept Art” and many other important art movements. The Gutai group believes in pure, basic property of creation process, granting the world endless possibilities for the future of art.

Sixty years have passed since the beginning of the Gutai group yet from present day aesthetic perspectives, the concept and presentation of the movement is still relevant and even progressive. The world’s top art institutes have all held an art exhibition that discussed the Gutai Art Association, from Museum of Modern Art New York, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. Furthermore, the Guggenheim museum in New York held an exhibition titled “Gutai: Splendid Playground” in 2013 and the result was very well received.

Since the birth of the classic Electric Dress the artist continued to create until she passed away in 2005. Atsuko Tanaka had the constant passion and bravery to experiment. From 1960, when she questioned the material of creation to the unique and vibrant series of Lines and Circles, her optimism has assist her in achieving beyond the limits of Gutai, demonstrate her powerful individuality.  

The painting D was completed in 1983, presenting complex colorful circles that filled the composition. The vibrancy in colors gesture to strong vitality and energy, and the circles within the painting are organized into a configuration that echoes the sophisticate blinking of lights coming from the Electric Dress. Through highly saturated lines, the work creates a visual effect that is complex, direct, dazzling and powerful in every stroke. In D, the circles that overlaps one another, creates movement for the eyes. As if the circles are revolving calmly to a slow rhythm, lights can be seen as trespassing energy. The painting is full of excitements yet as a whole it conveys a quiet and elegant aestheticism. 

In the painting D, contemporary arrangement of space is present, uniting many practice from geometric form to color theories, it hints the relationship between human and technology, questioning the relevance of the artist when machinery is able to perform the creation process. Atsuko Tanaka painted with dancing colors and thick brushstrokes; on the surface of the canvas she organizes the imageries and thoughts of her mind. Successfully challenging conventional standards of aestheticism, her works are displayed internationally by many important institutions. In recent years, Tanaka’s works were present in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo as well as the 53rd Venice Biennale. Tanaka presents her life’s work with sincerity and unique perspectives. She explored endless progressive possibilities, thus, her whimsical creations are appreciated and celebrated even after decades have passed.

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