Oil on canvas

65.5 x 65 cm. 25 4/5 x 25 3/5 in.

Signed, dated and inscribed in Chinese with two artist's seals on the reverse

LITERATURE
2016, The Hours: Chou Chu-Wang Solo Exhibition, InArt Space, Tainan, p.54-55
2018, Vicissitudes of Stony Seas: Chou Chu-Wang Solo Exhibition, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, p.42
EXHIBITED
13 Feb – 26 Mar 2016, The Hours: Chou Chu-Wang Solo Exhibition, InArt Space, Tainan
25 Aug – 4 Nov 2018, Vicissitudes of Stony Seas: Chou Chu-Wang Solo Exhibition, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

Rocks as a Symbol of Eternity
Chou Chu-Wang: An Artist With Great Persistence

Chou Chu-Wang chooses to focus on pebbles, which are commonly found at the beaches in his hometown Pingtung, Taiwan, as his painting subject over the past decade. He managed to express his persistence through the artistic rendition of stones, which carry long history despite their plain look. Chou graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the National Kaohsiung Normal University. His artworks, which feature vivid and diverse techniques, won the Kaohsiung Arts Award and Taipei Fine Arts Award Grand Prize and are held by National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, etc. Still present at this auction is one of the early pieces in the Islet series.

Time Flies, but My Passion Lasts
“To see a world in a stone, to anchor it to see the eternity.”
—Chou's inscription at the back of Still

Created in 2014, Still adopted an aerial perspective, setting the tone of composition for the series. Lined up like an archipelago, the pebbles integrate seamlessly into the “sand map” and appeal to the viewer. If the viewer appreciates the painting from afar, he will see that the underlying sand is not flat but rather with tiny dunes, which are underscored by enhanced shadow. Chou painted the stationary rocks as a direct visual cue to suggest his persistence in creation. The painting may remind the viewer of Kahlil Gibran's quote on eternity, “I am forever walking upon these shores, betwixt the sand and the foam. The high tide will erase my foot prints, and the wind will blow away the foam, but the sea and the shore will remain forever.”

Price estimate:
HKD: 45,000 – 85,000
USD: 5,700 – 10,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 56,640