The Spiritual Dimension of Light and the Uncertainty in Paintings of Pierre Soulages and Chu Teh Chun

Abstract

Light is one of the most prominent theme in western paintings since the ancient period. Most of works represented in aesthetical ways (for example in Caravaggio’s or Monet’s works) or in a symbolic meaning (for example in religious paintings). The theory of the uncertainty in physics which was developed in the beginning of 20th century have been influenced science and philosophy ever since. Is there a possibility to apply the uncertainty principle to study contemporary paintings. This article aim to use the uncertainty principle to study the role of lighting in contemporary paintings of the French artist Pierre Soulages and the Chinese-French artist Chu Teh Chun. The result is that in the works of these 2 artists, uncertainty characteristics had been revealed as a conceptual thinking and a specific process of each specific artist. In the case of Pierre Soulages the process of creating the autre-noir or beyond black space and scrap its surface to let the light touch, reflect and absorb. In the case of Chu Teh Chun the technique of calligraphy and space-focusing as in Chinese literati painting and calligraphy subordinated the abstract landscape from the artist’s memory. The interpretation is in the eyes of the interpreter every time of contemplation thus uncertainty has been discovered and recovered, limitlessly.