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Lot 48
Lee Ufan (b. 1936)
With Winds
Closed23 September 2014
Price Realised
USD 161,000
More Information
Lee Ufan (b. 1936)
With Winds
signed and dated 'L. Ufan 87' (lower right); signed again and titled 'with winds Lee Ufan' (on the reverse)
pigment suspended in glue on canvas
35 7/8 x 46 in. (91.1 x 116.8 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
With Winds
signed and dated 'L. Ufan 87' (lower right); signed again and titled 'with winds Lee Ufan' (on the reverse)
pigment suspended in glue on canvas
35 7/8 x 46 in. (91.1 x 116.8 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
Lee Ufan (b. 1936)
With Winds
signed and dated 'L. Ufan 87' (lower right); signed again and titled 'with winds Lee Ufan' (on the reverse)
pigment suspended in glue on canvas
35 7/8 x 46 in. (91.1 x 116.8 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
With Winds
signed and dated 'L. Ufan 87' (lower right); signed again and titled 'with winds Lee Ufan' (on the reverse)
pigment suspended in glue on canvas
35 7/8 x 46 in. (91.1 x 116.8 cm.)
Painted in 1987.
Private collection, Daegu, acquired from the artist
Private collection, Suwon
Private collection, Paju
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Private collection, Suwon
Private collection, Paju
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Lee Ufan is a Korean visionary of Post-Minimalist art, and prides himself on being able to see the world as it is. This notion was also the mentality of the Mono-ha artist group, of which he was a leading member. As a child, Ufan mastered the two primitive units of East Asian calligraphy and painting, and this foundation has remained crucial to his artistic principles both conceptually and compositionally. His artistic series from 1980, With Winds and From Winds, from which this piece derives, focus on accentuating the empty space of a canvas. Though Ufan’s brushstrokes may appear random, he is ultimately capturing structural components of seemingly invisible forces.
The artist keeps “expression to a minimum in order to achieve the maximum,” (L. Ufan, Lee Ufan, Tokyo, 1993, p. 3), and his paintings are ultimately composed with what he calls “a sense of indefiniteness” (Ibid). As the pigment from his brush delves into the depths of a canvas, the artist gradually establishes an organizational rhythm throughout. This particular work, titled With Winds, not only captures the essence of the particular series, but also distinguishes the artist’s influence as a writer on both contemporary art and more importantly, structural aesthetics. He increasingly limited his choice of medium and materials to glorify the simplicity of what is truly before us.
The artist keeps “expression to a minimum in order to achieve the maximum,” (L. Ufan, Lee Ufan, Tokyo, 1993, p. 3), and his paintings are ultimately composed with what he calls “a sense of indefiniteness” (Ibid). As the pigment from his brush delves into the depths of a canvas, the artist gradually establishes an organizational rhythm throughout. This particular work, titled With Winds, not only captures the essence of the particular series, but also distinguishes the artist’s influence as a writer on both contemporary art and more importantly, structural aesthetics. He increasingly limited his choice of medium and materials to glorify the simplicity of what is truly before us.