In the 1950s, Hans Hartung, Pierre Soulages and G. Sohneider were called "three heroes of lyrical abstraction". In this period, abstract expressionism and other forms of abstractionism prevailed in the European and even American art scene. It is in this ambiance that Hartung created his unique oil painting language through the discovery of the randomness of abstract paintings and the tension of physical control. 

In the late 1920s, Hartung produced a series of completely abstract paintings, most of which were the result of improvisation. For Hartung, oil paints is more suitable to pursuing perfect composition, so he would select some to reproduced into oil paints or acrylic paints works after drawing hundreds of paintings. He once changed the title of his paintings on paper into a system of numbers, creation years and specific codes so as to select appropriate images more systematically. T1976-R3 is one of the works that had been selected to be reproduced.

In 1935, Hartung fled Nazi Germany with the help of his artist friends, and settled in Paris. Later on, he joined the French Foreign Legion to fight against Hitler and the fascist regime. Unfortunately, he was badly wounded in the Battle of Belfort in 1944 and was forced to have his right leg amputated, which exerted an astounding influence on his future artistic creation. Hartung once commented on his post-war works, "My paintings are pieced by strange swirling brushstrokes, like desperate and trapped scratches. The fierce, rebellious paintings are like myself." It can be seen that the artist infuses his turbulent emotions into lines and brushstrokes of speed and strength in the paintings. The period from the 1940s to the 1960s is the first creative peak in his artistic career when his creative techniques of "hands following the heart" was repeatedly practiced with his massive works. In consequence, his works in the 1970s became more mature in composition and colors.


In 1960, Hartung was awarded the International Grand Prix for painting at the Venice Biennale, beginning a brand-new chapter in his artistic career. The artist once described this crucial turning point, "In 1960, an honour made me happier than receiving any Legion of Honour...... I eventually stepped out of the dark ages." Meanwhile, the extensive application of acrylic paints in the 1960s also had revolutionary impact on him, enabling him to make full usage of body movements and paints to express his inner feelings. T1976-R3 reflects his great proficiency in painting as well as his capability to draw on this large size. The completely spontaneous brushstrokes are swift and energetic, indicating the artist's metamorphosis from the postwar wounds to a freer state.

Hartung's creative works in the 1970s demonstrate his sensitivity in colour combination. His iconic bold coloring also developed and consolidated in this period. The composition of T1976-R3 is neat and energetic, and the cool blue and black blocks on both sides show a sharp contrast with bright yellow and silver white in the center of the picture. The artist cleverly creates depth of field in abstract images with the light and shade of cool and warm tones: the color plane composed of the yellow and white color planes ends at the disappearing point where midnight blue and jet black meets, like two beams of iridescent light breaking the darkness, indicating that Hartung has stepped out of the dark ages. The large size and one point perspective composition of this work make the viewer feel like being in the t.mes tunnel and stepping into a bright future together with the artist.

T1976-R3, painted in 1976, with 180 cm in height and width, is the largest work of the artist at Asian auctions. Hartung was an internationally acclaimed abstractionist when he produced this work. Apart from winning the International Grand Prix for painting at the Venice Biennale in 1960, he had a major retrospective at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art in 1969 and a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1975. T1976-R3 is one of the pieces created in this mature period with great collects ion value.

The present work was exhibited at Kiel Art Museum in Germany in 2008 (Hans Hartung: Spontanes Kalkül) and at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art in 2019 (Hans Hartung: La fabrique du geste). Apart from exhibition collects ions, this work is also recorded in Hans Hartung: A Constant Storm. Works from 1922 to 1989 published by PERROTIN Art Gallery in New York in 2018.

五〇年代，漢斯·哈同與皮耶．蘇拉奇（Pierre Soulages）及施奈德爾（G. Sohneider）被並稱為「抒情抽象三傑」。此時，整個歐洲以至美國藝壇’，皆沉浸於抽象表現及其他形式的抽象主義風潮之中，哈同即在此氛圍中，通過對抽象繪畫的隨機性以及肢體控制的張力之間鑽研探索，開創其獨樹一格的油畫語言。

哈同在二〇年代末，曾用中國水墨創作一系列完全抽象的繪畫，其創作過程幾乎完全即興。對哈同而言，油彩更適用於追求完美的構圖，因此藝術家在創作數以百計的畫作後，從中挑選某些構圖重新做成油彩或壓克力彩作品。為了更有系統地篩選適合創作的圖像，哈同一度將其紙本作品的標題換成一個數字化的標題系統，結合創作年份及特定代碼，本作《T1976-R3》則為其中被挑選重新繪製之作品之一。

1935年，哈同在藝術家朋友的協助下逃離納粹統治的德國，從此定居巴黎。其後他自願加入法國外籍軍團對抗希特勒及法西斯政權，可惜於1944年，哈同在貝爾福戰役中不幸受傷，右腿膝蓋以下截肢。此一傷患為藝術家往後的創作帶來撼動性的影響。哈同對於其戰後作品曾有此自述：「我的畫作被奇怪的、彎曲的筆觸所貫穿，而這些筆觸是陷入困境的、絕望的划痕。這是激烈、反叛的繪畫。就像我自己」，可見藝術家將內心複雜澎湃的情感，注入畫面兼具速度和力量的線條筆觸；四〇至六〇年代是哈同藝術生涯中的首個創意勃發期，此手隨心運的創作手法在這段期間，在哈同海量的創作之中經反覆淬鍊，延伸至哈同七〇年代的作品，在更成熟構圖及用色下，盡情揮灑。


1960年，哈同被授予威尼斯雙年展繪畫類大獎，為其藝術生涯嶄新一頁掀開序幕，藝術家對此重大轉捩點曾有此敘述：「1960年，一項榮譽甚至比所有的榮譽軍團勳章更讓我高興 .....我終於走出了黑色年代的黑暗。」 ，與此同時，隨著壓克力彩在1960年代開始被廣泛應用，亦為哈同的創作帶來革命性的影響，使他能夠更充分運用肢體運動，揮灑顏料表達自我的內心情感。《T1976-R3》展現哈同已達得心應手之境，駕馭此宏大尺幅仍遊刃有餘；全然自發性的筆觸，俐落果斷，象徵藝術家已然從戰後傷患蛻變，昇華至更自如之境界。

哈同在七〇年代的創作，展現其對色彩調配運用的敏感度，標誌性的大膽用色亦在這段時期確立鞏固：《T1976-R3》的構圖俐落，畫面兩側冷冽的藍、黑色塊與中央的明黃和銀白成鮮明對比，哈同巧妙地運冷暖色調的明暗，營造抽象畫面的景深：黃、白色面構成的色面，剛好止於午夜藍與墨黑交會的消失點，有如兩道虹光劃破黑暗；好比哈同走出了黑色年代坦然自白。作品寬宏的尺幅及單點透視構圖，使觀者猶如置身時空隧道，隨藝術家的步伐，邁向光明。

《T1976-R3》誕生於1976年，尺幅高、寬達180公分，是藝術家目前在亞洲拍場上尺幅最大的作品。創作此作時哈同已是蜚聲國際的抽象藝術家，除了在1960年威尼斯雙年展榮獲繪畫獎，哈同更於1969年於巴黎國立現代藝術博物館舉行大型回顧展，及1975年於紐約大都會博物館舉辦個展。《T1976-R3》即是創作於此成熟時期，收藏價值可見一斑。

本作曾於2008年出展於德國基爾美術館〈漢斯·哈同：Spontanes Kalkül〉以及2019年於巴黎現代藝術博物館舉行的〈漢斯·哈同：La fabrique du geste〉, 除展覽畫冊外，本作亦收錄於2018年紐約貝浩登畫廊出版之《漢斯·哈同——不息的風暴，1922-1989年作品系列》。