Oil on canvas

91 x 72.5 cm. 35 7/8 × 28 1/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Live Up to One's Life as a Blooming Flower

Dong Shaw-hwei was graduated with the first place from the Western Painting Programme, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University. Having studied in Europe since the 1990s, Dong Shaw-hwei was influenced by impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre Bonnard. Nevertheless, she concentrated on studying Zhuangzi's philosophy. Her works are imbued with a reserved and serene quality, echoing the spirit of “things and man united as one.” In the late 1990s, she developed her Still-Life with a Black Desk series that contains subjective mental symbolism. The frames are often composed of vivid flowers, simple containers and wooden chairs and desks to render a peaceful and profound atmosphere. In 2017, she had her solo exhibition at National Museum of History, Taipei and received excellent feedback. In this auction, we will be presenting her Hydrangea, which is considerably rare in her still life creation. We will also demonstrate her exquisite literary talent to our audience through her another piece, Poetic Wang Wei ——Colourful Camellia, which was originated from Wang Wei's famous poem: The Dale of Singing Birds.

Hydrangea Relishes Her Elegance, Tea Treasures His Fragrance

Compared to camellia, the depiction of hydrangea is rarely seen in Dong Shawhwei's works. This Hydrangea that was completed in 2013 is one of the only two paintings with blue hydrangea as their subjects. Since ancient times, hydrangea has been the representation of “Wealth and Honor”. Flowering between summer and autumn, its' flowers have a riot of colours instead of a long fluorescence and blue is one of its' signature colours. In this artwork, the plain desk gives prominence to its' texture and depth with a diaphanous black and brown tune. The heavy and compacted quality indicates the peace and strength of eastern culture. A blue hydrangea blossoms in the clear vase, with flowers clustering around each other, swing and fluttering like butterflies. The green leaves around the bottleneck provide a perfect foil to illustrate the purity of the blooms. The faint scent from the half-full caesious-glazed cup echoes the fragrance of the hydrangea, giving out a refreshing odour. The afternoon sunlight is refracted from the window, adding a sense of tenderness and glitz to the celadon, singing a song of the beauty of a peaceful life.

Birds Warbling Moonlight, Camellia Blooming Scarlet

Poet Wang Wei once depicted such a clear moon night in his poem, The Dale of Singing Birds. “Sweet Laural blooms fall unenjoyed; Vague hills dissolve into night void. The moonrise startles birds to sing; Their twitters fill the dale with spring.” As a professional in literi, Dong Shaw-hwei was so deeply inspired by this poem that she dragged it into her painting, Poetic Wang Wei ——Colourful Camellia. The poem written in a blank paper reflects the shadow of the window frame under the afternoon sun. For the foreground, inside the transparent vase blossoms a full-blown Camellia. The camellia belongs to a rare kind called “Crimson claw lotus”, which has round petals, glossy dark green leaves, gorgeous colours and beautiful plant shape. The camellia blooms brightly in the day time, and birds twitter among the silent mountains at night. Regardless of blossom or fall, it is whispering the truth of life throughout the looping seasons.

Price estimate:
HKD: 130,000 – 175,000
USD: 16,800 – 22,600

Auction Result:
HKD: 212,400