As a female pioneer of Chinese abstract art, Lalan (Xie Jinglan) joins the ranks of other prolific Chinese artists working in Paris during the second half of the twentieth century. Alongside the practice of her first husband Zao Wou-Ki, of whom she moved from China to the French capital with in 1948. Lalan’s practice did not conform to boundaries set by traditional Chinese ink paintings, nor the styles developed by their Western counterparts. Instead, Lalan’s controlled, fluid work stands between both cultures - combining influences drawn from China’s ancient heritage and the buzzing artistic scene in Paris at that time.

The present work exemplifies Lalan’s uniquely refined aesthetic sense. Gestural calligraphic strokes dance across the blue-toned work, drawing the viewer’s eyes around in a rhythmic yet delicate manner. Infusing her profound understanding of music and dance with her painterly technique, Lalan immerses her viewer into a dynamic domain. Painted during the final stage of an artistic cycle that followed her from abstract, to representational, before reverting back to abstract – the present work demonstrates Lalan’s matured compositional mastery.

Before the artist’s death in 1995, Lalan’s practice was widely celebrated in France throughout the various stages of her career. She has since found international acclaim, praised for being bold, avant-garde and going against the trends of her time to create only what she truly believed in.