Walasse Ting – Natasha, 1997 – Mixed Media

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Mixed media on paper. Stamped with a seal of the artist lower left. Signed and dated 97 verso.

'Natasha' by Walasse Ting is a mixed media work on paper from 1997, measuring 70 × 100 cm. A reclining female nude is rendered in loose, confident line against a loosely cross-hatched ground of charcoal wash, with floral motifs crowning her head and scattered across the composition. The figure holds what appears to be an iris, its petals outlined with the same economy of mark that defines the face — parted lips, a downcast profile, a raised hand. A small spider sits near the base of the bloom. The palette is restrained: warm cream paper, grey wash, and black ink. Ting began his career as an abstract painter before pivoting to the figuration for which he became best known from the mid-1970s onward. This work sits firmly in that mature period, combining the fluid draftsmanship associated with his 'popular figuratism' with residual gestural energy drawn from his earlier Expressionist-influenced practice.

Walasse Ting (China/United States, 1928–2010) was a Chinese-American visual artist and poet celebrated for his vibrant paintings that blend Eastern and Western styles. His works often feature vivid depictions of women, animals, and nature, characterized by bold colors and expressive brushstrokes. Ting was associated with the CoBrA movement and influenced by Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art.

Walasse Ting

Natasha, 1997

Form

Drawing / Watercolor

Drawing / WatercolorDrawing and watercolor are two traditional art techniques which stand alone as media, but are often used in conjunction with each other. Drawing can create the basic outlines for watercolor painting. Drawing over dried watercolor or using watercolor pencils are combined media techniques.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

Edition

Unique work

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Limited Edition Print

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Walasse Ting

I Love Cherries and Flowers, 1980

Limited Edition Print

The Belgian artist, Pierre Alechinsky discovered Walasse Ting sleeping on boards in a tiny attic room and became his best friend. Walasse Ting was inspired by the “Expressionist” movement, as well as the many works of Picasso. He began as an abstract artist, but the bulk of his work since the mid 1970's has been described as popular “figuratism.” In the early 1940's Walasse Ting exhibited a few water colors at a local Hong Kong bookstore. However, he made his way to Paris and then to the West, where he struggled for six years before becoming noticed by the COBRA artistic group: Karel Appel, Asger Jorn and his friend Alechinsky. In the mid 1950's, Walasse Ting became involved in the “abstract expressionist” era, where he was befriended by Sam Francis. Ting had been previously noted for his bold strokes which were mainly poetic abstracts, like the renowned artist Zao Wouki. In the 1970's Ting developed his own distinctive style, using vivid acrylic paint within his Chinese calligraphic brushstrokes. Walasse Ting’s artistic works are filled with vitality and freshness, in his depictions of sensuous women, flowers, birds, fishes, various types of animals, and a wide array of flora and fauna. His art work is simply named, such as "Lady With Vase," "Busy Bodies," and "Cat In The Garden." Ting’s canvas paintings expressed his passion for the beauty of the natural world, which awarded him the Guggenheim Fellowship Award for Drawing. Walasse Ting was self-taught, but his artistic works can be found in the permanent collections of international museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago, London's Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and the Parisian and Hong Kong Museum of Art, as well as many others. After 20 years in New York, Walasse Ting moved to Amsterdam, which he said reminded him of Hangzhou's West Lake area. His exotic colorful abstracts are an inspiration of his experiences in Tahiti, like Gauguin. Ting suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2002 and passed away in 2010, in New York after he moved from the Netherlands.

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Walasse Ting

Natasha, 1997

70 x 100 cm

Language & Currency

Walasse Ting