Oil on canvas

80 × 80 cm. 31 1/2 × 31 1/2 in.

LITERATURE
2001, Hoo Mojong, Mountain Art Museum, Kaohsiung, p.8-9
EXHIBITED
10 Mar-13 May 2001, The Works of Hoo Mojong Exhibition, Mountain Art Museum, Kaohsiung
2 Jun-1 Jul 2001, The Works of Hoo Mojong Exhibition, Honggah Museum, Taipei
4 Jul-9 Aug 2015, Selected Oil Paintings of Hoo Mojong Exhibition, Mountain Art Space, Beijing

PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Note: an exhibition label of The Works of Hoo Mojong Exhibition is affixed on the reverse

Appearing as Facile, Yet Humbly concealing the Emanating Light from Within
A Fusion of Hoo Mojong's Classical Figures and the Still Life Themes

Hoo Mojong was born and raised in a scholarly family in Shanghai in 1924. Influenced by her mother's proficiency in Chinese painting, Hoo Mojong cultivated a profound interest in painting since a young age. In 1950, she immigrated to Brazil. Not only did she befriend Chinese celebrities such as Zhang Daqian, she was also favoured by the most influential local gallery Sao Luis, which invited her to present solo exhibitions that received positive feedbacks. In 1965, Hoo Mojong moved to Paris. At the time, France saw the emergence of various art schools. Artistic ideologies collided fiercely. Inspired by such separation, Hoo Mojong combined Impressionism, Expressionism, and other styles, and transformed them into a genre of semi-figurative art.

Hoo Mojong enjoyed portraying subjects that are simplistic but have the characteristic of exuding the charms of life. She was skilled at classical figures and still life painting and displayed her expertise through strong colour palettes and simple forms. In 1968, she won the gold medal at the French Women's Salon for her Toy Series, which brought her fame and success. In 1970, the French Ministry of Culture arranged a studio for her, making her the most successful Chinese female artist after Pan Yuliang. Her Busy Working presented here was created in 1972 after the artist had moved into the studio. The work is a rare combination of the two classic themes of portrait and still life, which is unique and representative.

During Hoo Mojong's residence in Paris, she studied at the Academic Grande Chaumiere as a self-study student. She trained tirelessly in human body sketching and developed a solid foundation in modelling. Unlike other artists living in France, her modelling was not drawn with lines, but embodied qualities of still life painting. The structure of her creation was based on the concept of chamfering and juxtaposing different faces of architectural shapes. Incorporating unique personal style, the protagonists of her works often emit harmonious atmospheres.

Hoo Mojong's style is epitomized in the Busy Working. The work features a short-haired woman as the protagonist whose head, upper body, lower limbs, apron, and fruit basket in her hand are divided into large colour panels. Together, these panels are integrated to build the overall structure of the painting. The solid saturated colours are contrasted with simple shapes, depicting the message in the painting. Except for the fruits in the basket that are illustrated in bright orange and cherry red colour, the artist depicted the characters' clothing and skin in cool tones such as graphite blue, carbon grey, and turquoise green. These colours are intended to highlight the modest characteristics of each element. The strong colour contrast creates a dramatic tension between the plump and ripens fruits and the humility of the woman. Although women belong to the working class and do not possess extravagant clothing, the fresh fruits they hold are utilized to allude to their yearning and pursuit of a better life. It is a symbol of their hope – the hope of creating a better future through hard-working hands.

Price estimate:
HKD: 400,000 - 600,000
USD: 51,000 - 76,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 480,000