Oil stick, oil and arcylic on canvas

35.6 × 28 cm. 14 × 11 in.

Titled, dated, signed and located in English on reverse
PROVENANCE
Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Puerto Rico
15 Dec 2020, Christie's New York Auction, Lot 1
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

Beyond Heaven and Earth, I Paint My Heart with My Hands
Shara Hughes' Mental Picture

"I want to keep painting those places I've never been on. I'm really trying actively to surprise myself every time I make a new painting."

――Shara Hughes

Inspired by the work of British artist David Hockney, young American artist Shara Hughes has come a long way since her work was described by The New Yorker as "guileless visions of not-so-far-away worlds". Hughes expresses her thoughts in precise brushstrokes and bold colours. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture from 2004 to 2011. Since moving from her hometown to New York in 2014, her painting style has changed from dark interior themes to bright and cheerful landscapes. In 2016, she presented her Utopian-like paintings to the world at a show at the Marlborough Gallery in New York City entitled Trips I've Never Been On. This year is the same year the painting Broccoli Trees was done, highlighting the significance of this specific work.

The following year, The Whitney Biennial in New York opened a unique gallery to showcase Hughes' work. Since then, Hughes has had solo exhibitions at the Newport Art Museum and the Yuz Museum in Shanghai. Her works has been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum in New York. She has become one of the most sought-after artists of the new generation in the global auction market.

Painting from Nature to the Heart

In Broccoli Trees, the artist distilled nature's forms and colours into a single square inch: Three large trees from left to right, completing the division from far to near and on the right side of the painting. A fluid dot painting abstractly depicts nature's upward growth, reminiscent of Hockney's iPad painting about Yosemite Park in California. With the same clear, crisp lines and rich, vibrant colours, Hughes' brighter, more energetic, solid brushwork creates a "Fauvist" atmosphere. The green broccoli trees in the foreground are more tangible than the trees in the distance, drawing viewers back from the dream world to reality. The three flowering trees sway in the wind and stand in the stillness of the scene. The interplay of views, the richness of natural colours and the tension in the viewers' hearts are so touching.

Looking Out of the Window, the Sun Looks Like Me

The primary colours of the painting are passionate red and green. The fertile red earth is repeatedly painted with matte oil sticks. In contrast, the tree trunks and pink sky are painted with glossy oil, creating a rich visual experience with contrasting textures. The sun, a frequent feature of her work, appears here differently - the vermilion and purple blocks divide the ground in two, visually creating a shadow under the sun. The painting does not represent the sun concretely, but its natural variation and heat are felt. Hughes painted the "border" on the right and bottom of the work in thick red and green oils, making the scene look like a view through a window, speaking of a place of peace of mind outside of life.

A Flourishing Scene within an Exclusive Space

Hughes once said: "Small paintings need more polishing than large ones. Small paintings take more time to complete. I have to be able to achieve perfection in my brushstrokes before I can have a successful small painting," and Broccoli Trees is such a work. She has also said of her works: "Painting is always a process of trial and error. Once the painting is finished, my decision is a success". Through this process of trial and error, Hughes shows us the universe of images she has created from her inner flourishing.

Price estimate:
HKD: 250,000 - 450,000
USD: 31,800 - 57,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 300,000