Oil and tempera on canvas

38.2 × 50.8 cm. 15 x 20 in.

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
InART Space Gallery, Tainan
Private Collection, Asia

A Freehand-Strokes Painting with Sentiments Lying in the Details
The Inner Scenery of Yeh Tzu-Chi
“Still life to me is an indoor scenery; the scenery to me is an outdoor still life.”
—Yeh Tzu-Chi
Yeh Tzu-Chi was born in Hualien County, Taiwan, and graduated from the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese Culture University. In August 1987, he went to the United States for further studies, since when he has been living in New York for nearly two decades. After acquiring his master’s degree from the Institute of Fine Arts, City University of New York, Brooklyn in 1989, he devoted himself to realism painting. He followed the Photorealism in New York in the late 1970s, delved into the classical techniques of the Venetian School. By adding tempera to oil paintings, he successfully rendered the picture softer and more delicate, disclosing sincere feelings. The open-mindedness in New York has broadened his horizons and led him to deep introspection. In 2006, the artist in his fifties returned to his hometown, Hualien to settle down and continue the realism creation which embodies his understandings of life. The works, Taiwan Jasmine (Lot 682) and National Cheng Kung University (Lot 681), were created after his return, respectively depicting the still life and landscape, each with its distinctive characteristics.
The Monologue of Jasmine Imbued with Sentiments
“When I was a child, there was a lot of jasmines in our garden. It was my father’s favorite flower.”
—Yeh Tzu-Chi
The still life painting of Yeh bears a unique metaphorical expression. Its unique tempera technique and precisely measured distance and size can bring out the deepest strength of the object, delicate yet full of vitality. In the painting, Taiwan Jasmine, he captured a jasmine flower in his hometown in a portrait-style, conveying the Zen philosophy that “to see a world in a wildflower.” In the image, the jasmine encompassed by frozen time appears in the center of the stage, with petals stretched out and the stem straight and green. The meticulous brushstrokes of Yeh depict the luster of each petal, and the classicity of tempera calms the intense feelings with a smooth visual presentation. The flowing scent of the flower turned into eternity in the painting, embodying the monologue of the artist. The time and space freeze at the moment when the jasmine blossoms, as if Yeh’s emotions finally reach its attribution.
A Flourishing Banyan Tree and the Mental Imagery
Landscape painting is another theme of Yeh’s artistic creation. He refines the eternal beauty within the natural landscape and awakes the deepest aspiration in the viewer’s heart. The old banyan tree depicted in work, National Cheng Kung University, has witnessed the life stories of Yeh, bearing a significant meaning for him. In the summer of 1983, Yeh and his present wife visited the National Cheng Kung University when they fell in love and saw this tree. Since then, the tree has become a scenery of his life, of which he constantly recalled in Tainan. “The growth of a tree represents persistence and commitment, so does life, and so do the dreams.” Yeh’s waiting for the old banyan tree symbolizes his unchanging love for his wife, as well as this persistence in the artistic practice. Through the delicate details peculiar to tempera, he has created a three-dimensionally rich texture. As the time flies, it has been nearly 30 years since Yeh first saw the tree, and the scenery that he presents us is no longer a glimpse on a journey, but an embodiment of deep feelings and promises that condense in the memory.

Price estimate:
HKD: 150,000 - 250,000
USD: 19,200 - 32,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 188,800