Oil on canvas

100 x 80 cm. 39 3/8 x 31 1/2 in.

Dated and signed in English on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Time is fleeting；
only beauty is eternal
The art of Dong Shaw-Hwei
In 2017, the National Museum of History held a large solo exhibition showcasing the works of Dong Shaw-hwei, an artist whose painting career has spanned over three decades. She dedicates herself to painting every day and is especially fond of using flowers and nature as her creative theme, utilizing them to record the passage of time as well as her own innermost thoughts and feelings. Two series, Courtyard in Black and White and Black Desk, have garnered her the most praise. At this autumn's auction, we are presenting two of her most representative works from each series: Flowers Dialogue—The Golden Lycoris II and Leisurely—White Camellia.
Flowers Dialogue—The Golden Lycoris II depicts golden flowers and a red spider lily （scientific name Lycoris radiata） in full bloom. The blue flowers at the top left extend outwards, as if in a “beauty contest” with the golden flowers, or perhaps whispering to them. Through the dense shade, the sun shines onto the ground, the flowerpot, and the blooming flowers, revealing the vitality of nature in the spring. The artist adeptly manipulates color to create a sense of space, and she uses dark green as the main tone, adding a hint of greenish-yellow to form a contrast of shades, thereby creating a visual effect of the uneven distribution of sunlight and shadows. The main golden flowers and the blue florets are paired together, enhancing the image's beauty while making the viewer feel that the scene is set in a beautiful, quiet courtyard. The overall grayish-green tone of the painting seems quiet and elegant； there is not only a diversity of color gradation, but the image also embodies a vivid depth of field. In addition, the painter's depiction approximates a minimalist planar style, while the texture lines on the flowers and leaves endow the image with sketch-like realism.
Dong Shaw-hwei once recalled that while she was in college, her mother often plucked the camellias which she had planted herself, and placed them on the table for Dong Shaw-hwei to sketch. The dignity and elegance of the camellia is reminiscent of her mother. Now, whenever she paints camellias, Dong Shaw-hwei always thinks of such memories. In 2017, she selected some of the works that she feels quite satisfied with and published her album The Camellia Series that included the work Leisurely—White Camellia, for which it is evident that the artist has special feelings. In the painting, the camellia grows vibrantly； the plant contains fresh buds, young shoots, small florets, and flowers in full bloom. In just the one potted plant, we can see virtually the entire lifecycle of the camellia. This embodies the Taoist theory of “calm observation” as well as the quiet and simple lifestyle of the artist herself. From the style and form of the image, the artist uses Western contemporary art techniques to create a sense of three-dimensionality. Although every object depicted on the canvas is drawn in a minimalist planar style, they all evoke a sense of three-dimensional realism, such as the glazed reflection on the teacup, the thick grain of the wooden table, and many other facets. In the background, we see large geometrically-shaped rays of halo-like sunlight, which also possess a certain abstract nature. At the bottom of the canvas, the natural trickle of paint embodies the artist's flexible use of the painting techniques of Western automatism. The entire work's strong sense of modernity, however, evokes an aesthetic quality that is “not deliberately artificial”. Such an expressive, uninhibited state of mind echoes the famous Taoist concept “Wuwei” （nonaction） as well as the hermitic spirit of ancient Chinese literati. This piece can therefore be called a “modern interpretation of Chinese painting”.

Price estimate:
HKD: 140,000 - 220,000
USD: 17,800 - 28,000

Auction Result:
HKD : 212,400