Liang Quan(b.1948)
Untitled VI
ink and collage on paper mounted on canvas
executed in 2001-2003
100.3x100.2 cm
(39 1/2 x 39 1/2 in)
LITERATURE
p.21, 2003 Contemporary Chinese Art, Han Bichi, Shanghai Peoples's Publiching House of Fine Arts, 2003

Returning from overseas after the studies in early 1980s, Liang Quan has been actively involved in the development of abstract art in China and he has made remarkable achievement. Whether it is installation art, mixed media and abstractionism, Liang has been one of the pioneers in Chinese contemporary art. While people’s focus shifts to abstractionism as the world of modern art is evolving, the value of Liang’s works surges up. Over the decades, Liang has explored various forms and developed a style of simplicity in his works. He combines his inner peace and lifestyle into his artworks to present a poetic enchantment.

Liang focuses on the use of paper and experimental ink as the media of his works. He applies the idea of “emptiness” into abstraction, enriching his artworks by the concept of Zen. Untitled VI is a collage of rice paper strips soaked with dyes of ink and a shade of pale blue. By using the mounting method which is widely adopted in traditional Chinese paintings, Liang repeatedly overlap the paper to create a sense of calm of his inner self. The horizontal lines represent the sea level and the reminiscences of the artist. Liang’s collage is a repetition of craft that creates a gradual change and continuity of colour, lines and forms on the canvas. The work presented in this auction is executed in 2001 and is a former execution of his celebrated Sailing Afar series. This is a piece of delicate details and soft colour that resembles the patience and calmness of Liang’s mind.