Oil on canvas

91 × 72.5 cm. 35 7/8 × 28 1/2 in.

Signed in English and dated on bottom right; titled and signed in Chinese, dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Traveling between Heaven and Earth
Dong Shaw-hwei's Artistic Corner

For over thirty years, Dong Shaw-hwei has focused on expressing her perceptions of the world. She specializes in still life painting, naturally applying the principles of Western art to express the beauty of Chinese culture. In Courtyard, Recollecting Precious Moments of Life: Dong Shaw-hwei 2017 Solo Exhibition at the National Museum of History, Taiwan, showed the high level of maturity and development of her creative system.

The works in this exhibition, A Quiet Day - Pomegranate Flowers (Lot 61) and Sunny Day - Golden Begonia (Lot 60), are from her most representative series “Black Table Still Life” and “White Table Still Life”. The flowers and leaves on the table reflect the viewer's inner desire for beauty.

A Fragrance in the Breadth of Mind

In A Quiet Day - Pomegranate Flowers, completed in 2013, the artist boldly placed a long black table upright, visually parallel to the vertical composition of the work, creating a three-dimensional sense of space. A pomegranate potted plant is placed on the table, with the flowering branches spreading outward from the centre, like a dancer stretching the arms, revealing a sense of self-gratification of the most complete life. The flourishing bud-like green leaves are decorated with flowers. The pot is in the shape of bamboo branches, which are known as “gentleman”, they can bend without breaking, reflecting the artist's mature mind and mood at this time.

Flowing with Heart, Pure as Water

The background of Sunny Day - Golden Begonia is moved to a white wooden chair, on which a golden begonia sits, drawing the viewer's attention to the nearest. Golden begonias are mostly found in Taiwan in winter, and despite their bright appearance, they have no scent and pure as water. In this work, the begonias are in different forms, the buds are like rouge, the ones that blooming are splendid like the sunset, and the ones that are about to fall are as light brown as the earth they were born from. The sunlight slanting into the background illuminates a transparent visual space, and the begonias show the beauty of different periods of life. The joy and comfort of life are all presented in the space.

“The table is a platform for the mind, to meditate; the flowers and leaves are life, joy, and treasure. The background is emptiness; light is truth and goodness……The black table stands in simplicity and elegance, the white table stands in relaxation and freedom. No matter black and white, the world exists, still life on the table, reflects one's heart. The stillness as a state of mind, the joyfulness naturally pours in.”

――Dong Shao-hwei , 2021

Price estimate:
HKD: 180,000 - 280,000
USD: 22,900 - 35,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 300,000