Oil on canvas

130×97 cm 51 1/8×38 1/4 in

Signed in English and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
2017, Brochure of Courtyard & Still Life Painting Series by Dong Shaw-Hwei, Land of Retreat & Wellness, Hsinchu, cover page
EXHIBITION
1 Jan – 30 Apr 2017， Courtyard & Still Life Painting Series by Dong Shaw-Hwei， Land of Retreat & Wellness， Hsinchu

PROVENANCE
Private collection， AsiaDong

“Still-life art is my favorite method of creation， although it is often regarded as a routine and unimaginative genre. I observe objects in complete silence before I pick up the brush and paint， making the final product the result of my patient examination. Such viewing process is also a type of introspection for me. I can sense the physicality of all the objects， tables， backgrounds， and the coexistence of the observer and the observed. They are independent yet interrelated， and in reality， Eastern still-life painting demands the painter to stay ‘still’， both mentally and emotionally， from start to finish when painting a piece. When all is said and done， both my mind and heart are calm and pure.”
——Dong Shaw-Hwei

Shaw-Hwei was born in 1962 and graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts at the National Taiwan Normal University. She has been devoted to artistic creation for over thirty years and has had more than twenty solo exhibitions held both at home and abroad， including a large-scale solo show at the Sichuan Museum in 2011 and an invitation to participate at an exhibition held in the Twin Oaks area of Washington D.C. These past successes are also the reason why the artist will be holding a new solo show at the National Gallery within the Taipei National Museum of History in the near future.
Dong’s work for this auction， Coming Together – The Red Camellia， stands out in the Still-Life with a Black Desk series， which serves as an emotional extension of the artist’s life. Her love for unadorned old wooden desks and beautiful flowers is the primary motive for creating this series. The potted flower and cups in the picture symbolize not only the happiness of simple life but also her insight into how best to cherish the present. The depiction of such simple objects demonstrates a carefree and leisurely ease unique to the Chinese concept of aesthetics， molding a rather impressive tension through the shapes of the objects， as well as a lyrical sense of feminine grace. The blossoming red camellia is a means of praising the goodness of life， with the strong color appearing all the more refined， other-worldly， and modest when set against an unpretentious background. The background lighting creates a tender ambience， and the bold leaves， the soft and dewy glaze of the cups， and the texture of the wooden desk are painted in a style not dissimilar from Realism. The shape and structure of the desk and the overall composition of the work， however， serve as stark reminders of the two-dimensional Minimalism.
In short， each opposing element in artistic creation， such as the differences between the East and West， flatness and spatiality， and between classicism and modernity， are joined in this picture， enjoying a delicate balance. Unadorned yet eloquent， Dong’s still-life can soothe our souls and cure our spiritual agony. Her meditation-like painting routine keeps her far away from the bubble of Wester-focused contemporary art and helps her to center on charm of Chinese oil painting.

Price estimate:
HKD: 220,000 – 320,000
USD: 28,000 – 41,000

Auction Result:
HKD: 330,400