Southern Mountain

Description

Although Chuang Che was born and raised in Beijing and reached maturity at a time of cultural isolation in China, the ideas of Abstract Expressionism nonetheless made their way to him. He eventually came to the United States and began experimenting with text collage. In 1967, he held his first solo exhibition in Ann Arbor, and the Museum acquired this work.
Che was one of many young artists who were discontented with traditional Chinese painting and embraced Western influences. He strove to create a new form of Chinese landscape art, one that fused the unstudied spontaneity of Chinese literati painting with the ideas of American Abstract Expressionism. Southern Mountain is a wonderful example of these dual influences. The patches of color are layered in order to evoke the spirit of an abstract mountain while their overlapping shapes create a sense of depth in the work that draws the viewer visually upward.
Jamina Ramírez, Intern for Modern and Contemporary Art, on the occasion of the exhibition The New York School: Abstract Expressionism and Beyond, July 20, 2002 – January 19, 2002