Artwork Description

Title: Traces – Line Rules
Artist: Guozhi Tang
Date: 2014
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 145 x 112 cm

Artwork Identification:
"Traces – Line Rules" is a striking oil on canvas by Chinese contemporary artist Guozhi Tang. The painting presents a rhythmic pattern of alternating horizontal bands in black, gold, red, and white, intersected by an abstract silhouette that disrupts the order—suggesting a presence or impression beneath the surface. The textured, almost tactile surface adds dimensionality and depth to the composition.

Artistic Style and Influences:
Tang Guozhi’s work is rooted in conceptual abstraction, engaging with themes of order, disruption, and the unseen layers of everyday existence. The artist's visual language is informed by minimalist structure yet reveals an undercurrent of organic ambiguity, hinting at spiritual or psychological traces beneath the surface geometry.

Historical Context:
Created in 2014, this piece reflects Tang’s growing focus on experimental formats within the Chinese contemporary art scene. It sits within a body of work that explores the tension between the constructed world and the impermanence of lived experience, employing color theory and physical surface interventions as expressive tools.

Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation:
The work is in very good condition, with no visible damage or restoration. The canvas remains taut and the texture-rich surface is preserved with clarity.

Artistic Significance:
Guozhi Tang is known for his exploration of perception and spiritual inquiry through multidisciplinary media. "Traces – Line Rules" is a strong representation of his painterly vocabulary—imbued with symbolism and executed with disciplined formalism. This work invites contemplation of how visible structures can conceal deeper truths, echoing the artist's ongoing investigation of reality, memory, and identity.