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Lee Ufan — "The highest level of expression is not to create something from nothing, but rather to nudge something that already exists so that the world shows up more vividly.” Lee Ufan
Lee Ufan

"The highest level of expression is not to create something from nothing, but rather to nudge something that already exists so that the world shows up more vividly.” Lee Ufan

1987

A delicate wash of watercolor on paper embodies Lee Ufan's philosophy of restraint and presence, where subtle gradations of pigment dissolve into the untouched white of the page. Rather than imposing upon the surface, Ufan coaxes the existing world into heightened awareness through the gentlest of marks, allowing silence and emptiness to speak as powerfully as color itself. The work invites the viewer to perceive not what has been added, but what has always been there — now made luminous through the artist's quiet intervention.

Medium
watercolor on paper

🔨 Auction Lot

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale

November 17, 2016

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About this work

Lee Ufan, "The highest level of expression is not to create something from nothing, but rather to nudge something that already exists so that the world shows up more vividly.” Lee Ufan, 1987

A delicate wash of watercolor on paper embodies Lee Ufan's philosophy of restraint and presence, where subtle gradations of pigment dissolve into the untouched white of the page. Rather than imposing upon the surface, Ufan coaxes the existing world into heightened awareness through the gentlest of marks, allowing silence and emptiness to speak as powerfully as color itself. The work invites the viewer to perceive not what has been added, but what has always been there — now made luminous through the artist's quiet intervention.

Medium
watercolor on paper
Year
1987
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Mono-ha Movement, 20th Century, Contemplative Mood, Muted Palette, Male Artist, Philosophical Subject, Muted Tones, Contemporary Master, East Asian Art, Works on Paper, Korean Artist, Meditative Mood, 20th-21st Century, Watercolor Medium, Minimalist Style

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