Zao Wou Kicomposition IV, From: Canto Pisan   Chinese French Canto Literature Abstract1972

Item details

Height

52.0 cm

Width

35.0 cm

Depth

0.01 cm

Wear conditions Wear conditions

Good

Wear conditions

Excellent

Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.

Good

May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.

Average

Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.

Apparent Wear and Tear

Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.

Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.

Description

This original etching and aquatint in colours is hand signed in pencil by the artist ""Zao Wou-Ki"" in Chinese and Pinyin at the lower right margin.
It is hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower left margin.
It was printed by Atelier Bellini, Paris and published by Pierre Belfond, Paris in 1972 in a total limited edition of 260 signed and numbered impressions. There were also 30 in Roman numerals on Japan nacre and an edition of 180 on Arches wove paper.
The paper is folded along the central spine due to inclusion in the portfolio, the image is printed on the right hand leaf of the sheet.

Note:
The Cantos are a collection of epic poems spanning 40 years of writing by one of America’s most controversial poets, Ezra Pound. The most studied and well-known section is the Pisan Cantos, which were written by the poet during his wartime incarceration following the American liberation of Italy.

The Pisan Cantos are also significant for their inclusion of Chinese characters and other non-English languages in the core of the texts. Forcing the reader to address the ideas of expression and cultural understanding.

With only three books permitted during his detention Pound selected a text by Confucius in the original language, a translation to English of the same text and a Chinese dictionary. The Pisan Cantos are notable for their reliance on memory, particularly the literary and artistic circles once enjoyed by the poet in the early twentieth century.

Zao Wou-Ki masterfully blended traditional Chinese expressionism with Western European abstraction to produce his important ‘Canto Pisan’. Eight magnificent etchings and aquatints with expressive and tonal colouring. With this series Wou-Ki continued his ongoing union of eastern and western ideas, finding a common visual language.

Literature: Ågerup, J. (1994). Zao Wou-Ki - The Graphic Work - A Catalogue Raisonné 1937-1995. Copenhagen: Heede & Moestrup.
Reference: Ågerup 221

Condition: Very good condition. Minor staining from hinging in the upper corners verso , faintly visible, recto.

Condition report:

Good

Material
Paper
Manufactured
1970s
Item location
London , United Kingdom
Period
Late 20th Century
Designer
Zao Wou-Ki
Condition
Used

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Last updated: 24th March 2025

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