「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Guardian Autumn Auctions: : The Artistic Expression of Existence

“Existence precedes essence” – this philosophical proposition by Sartre has dropped a thought-provoking bombshell in the Chinese art world.

In April 1980, news of Sartre’s death reached us. Inspired by Sartre’s thoughts, Zhong Ming decided to put Sartre’s portrait on the canvas, but faced a unique creative dilemma: how to depict Sartre’s left eye with strabismus? Direct depiction would be disrespectful, while deliberately avoiding it would violate the truth.

Ultimately, Zhong Ming chose a philosophical approach, using a horizontal composition to place Sartre in the lower right corner of the canvas. The printmaking texture was used to weaken the realistic details, while a cup was ingeniously drawn in the upper left corner. This seemingly simple composition was actually a delicate interpretation of existentialist philosophy. The cup being created to hold water is “essence preceding existence”, while a person defining themselves through actions is “existence preceding essence”. Through this visual contrast, Zhong Ming transformed abstract philosophical thinking into concrete artistic language, and named the work “He Is Himself – Sartre”. This work not only challenged the then “leader and workers, peasants, and soldiers” as the main characters in the creation, but also embodied the core proposition of existentialist philosophy.

This work, which sparked nationwide controversy and was collected by Sartre’s partner, Beauvoir for life, is about to be featured in the “Contemporary Art Special Session” of the 2025 Guardian Autumn Auctions, along with the masterpieces of contemporary artists such as Yu Youhan and Zhou Chunya.

This auction is worth looking forward to, as it is not only an acknowledgment of the value of an artwork, but also a tribute to a spirit – the existentialist spirit that believes that people can create meaning through their choices and actions. This spirit is extremely precious in any era.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.