Teh-Chun Chu (b. 1920)

In Composition No. 273 (Lot 3303), executed in 1968, Chu uses bold, expressive and lyrical brushstrokes to set up a mysterious, transitional space. He dramatically captures the moment before the arrival of dawn, when light is about to enter to disturb the silence of the dark night.

Using a predominantly dark brown palette in the background, Chu fills the scene with drama by creating tensions between the dark and light tones in the surrounding area. This effect is coupled by the use of rich red and blue colours, which serves to draw attention to the infinite sense of depth of the light source emanating from the centre.