The+White+Line+on+Grey+-+Tsong+Pu






 * Title: The White Line on Grey
 * Artist(s): Tsong Pu (Zhuang Pu 莊普, b. 1947)
 * Date: 1983
 * Period: Abstract Expressionism
 * Country of Origin: Taiwan
 * Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Taiwanese
 * Medium: Mixed Media
 * Dimensions: 194 X 130 cm

** Introduction ** The art of contemporary Taiwanese artist Tsong Pu spans historical and contemporary time periods. Tsong is a respected artist and teacher who is known as a �senior-generation� contemporary artist; a distinguished honor in Taiwanese art circles. The[| Taipei Times]named Master Tsong �a father figure to many young artists�. As a teacher in two art schools, and judge for exhibitions, he interacts with many young contemporary artists. Teacher Tsong has participated in over 100 solo, international, and domestic exhibitions spanning 1979 to the present. Tsong Pu�s work//, The White Lines on Grey,// is a two dimensional mixed media work from 1983. Tsong is a co-founder of successful Taipei contemporary art gallery, [|IT Park]//.// Presently, Tsong works mainly with the form of installation art.

** Descriptive Analysis ** Tsong Pu�s work, //The White Line on Grey,// is a non-representational work on canvas. I hesitate to call this piece two dimensional, as the mixed media materials which are used add a third dimension. The foundation of the rectangular format, roughly 4 ft. X 6 ft., consists of the layer of cotton woven canvas, then 1 cm. X 1cm. painted grids lying side by side, top to bottom. The paint used is a warm green-grey color and is methodically stamped to create grids in perfect repetition. Each stamp is bordered by what appears to be a thin, light, chalky, hand drawn outline. Each grid square is bisected by a white wire which has been diagonally stretched across the canvas and secured when it reaches each edge. To keep the wires straight, perfectly bisecting the upper right and lower left corners of each grid, a stitch of thread has been added at each intersection. Breaking the geometric symmetry of the canvas and wire are 17 short, white, vertical marks along the bottom of the canvas. These marks are texturally rough, and they vary in width. They look like old weathered fence posts. The white paint is applied both generously and at times with dry brush so that the white marks lay on top of the wire and behind the wire. Shadows made by the white marks are painted with a darker version of the grey grids. Perhaps blue has been added to the warm green-grey to darken and cool down the shadows. The castings of the shadows suggest multiple light sources.

** Formal and Contextual Analysis ** The artist was born in 1947 in Shanghai, China, two years after WWII ended, at a time when China�s relationships with Japan and Taiwan were in transition. The Japanese Colonial period in Taiwan had ended and Taiwan had become a spoil of the war in favor of China. In his youth, Tsong Pu immigrated to Taiwan where he graduated from the Commerce and Industry High School in Taipei in 1969. Taipei, in 1969, was under Martial Law (The White Terror) and the rule of Chiang Kai-shek. In the 1970�s Tsong was influenced by artists who combined traditional Chinese painting and spirit with Western Abstract Expressionism. It was Tsong�s desire to learn to draw realistically which led him to art school in Spain, where he graduated in 1978. He returned to Taiwan in 1981, five years before Martial Law would be lifted. In 1981, under the leadership of President Chiang Ching-kua, the Council for Cultural Planning and Development (now known as Council for Cultural Affairs) was organized to oversee the cultural enhancement of new development projects, and the dissemination of Chinese culture. In 1983, the year Tsong created //The White Line on Grey,// the [|Taipei Fine Arts Museum] (TFAM) was opened. In the following year he was awarded a grand prize in the Contemporary Art Trends in Taiwan show held at the TFAM. Recognition in that exhibition and a solo show of his works titled “A Meeting of Mind and Material” in 1983 were considered influential in the opening up of the Taiwanese art world. His works from the 1980s feature an abstract minimalist painting style that use grids as primary compositional elements.

The imagery of //The White Line on Grey// balances between strict, perfected geometry and organic marks. The grids magnify the woven structure of the canvas. The colors do not distract from the forms on this canvas. The colors, forms and their arrangement on the canvas are minimalist. These forms and colors remind me of the theme of //body and soul.// The strictly symmetrical grids and bisecting diagonals symbolize the human body as well as features seen in a landscape (home). The neutral colors are reminiscent of flesh and nature. The white, free form marks take up a minimal amount of the space on this canvas, yet add grounding, and a firm sense of balance to symbolize the spirit. Tsong has told us that when he created this work, he was �not into those very passionate paintings with intense emotion�he wanted more calm and dispassionate works�. Tsong is influenced by Chinese embroidery. He shows the importance of and deep respect for this ancient task. He is not only connecting to the viewers spiritual roots by showing us how to consider meticulous crafts in abstract form, but he reminds us of the lives and working hands of the ancestors. This work is a collaboration of sorts. Tsong has one studio in metropolitan Taipei where he teaches students, and another in the mountains outside Taipei. In this work, he was joined by his neighbors in its creation where all would drink tea while stitching the wires onto the canvas. Conversation and companionship are now an abstract component of this wok.

** Personal Interpretation ** I was drawn to this piece by the shades of grey. Neutrals created by mixing complements are intriguing and calm. The asymmetrical balance created by the unstructured white marks gives this piece stability and contrast. If the neutral grids and white marks existed without interruption from the diagonal wires, the work would not have a sense of moving through time. I feel that the wires symbolize the passage from a time when it was necessary to hand craft in communities to the busy contemporary lifestyles concerned with global communication. An ambiguous light source which falls on the white marks also refers to the passage of time by the path the sun follows across the sky. The textures, knowledge of methods with which to manipulate fibers, and their expressive qualities are some of the characteristics that draw me to this artistic medium. Tsong has challenged simple weaving processes while indirectly telling us a story about his life and the moments he treasures.


 * References **

Minglu, G. (1998). //Inside out: new chinese art// (Catalogue of show at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Asia Societies Gallery, New York), Retrieved from []

//Art radar//. (2010, June 23). Retrieved from [] An interview with the artist in which he discusses White Line on Grey and its relationship with other works

//Art radar//. (2010, August 10). Retrieved from http://artradarjournal.com/2010/08/10/tsong-pu-discusses-six-artworks-part-i-%E2%80%93-chasing-lines-across-space/ About a retrospective show of the artist's works