Lot  124 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Taipei

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Taipei

Hope

Michell HWANG (HWANG Ming-che) (Taiwanese, 1948)

1990-1991

Oil on canvas

182 x 136.5 cm

Estimate

TWD 1,800,000-2,400,000

HKD 439,000-585,000

USD 60,000-80,000

Sold Price

TWD 2,880,000

HKD 736,573

USD 94,955


Signature

Titled on the reverse Hope in Chinese, dated 1990.91 and signed Che in Chinese

EXHIBITED:


Michell Hwang Exhibition, Taiwan Museun of Art, Taichung, March 10 - April 25, 1992

Michell Hwang Solo Exhibition, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art, Kaohsiung, October 23 - December 27, 1998

ILLUSTRATED:


Michell Hwang 1992, Taiwan Museun of Art, Taichung, 1992, color illustrated, pp. 84-85

+ OVERVIEW

In this work, entitled "Hope", the focus of this work is a woman whose head tilts to the center with a slight touch of apprehension in her cold facial expression. Her left hand is holding a messenger pigeon, and she cradles a child in her right arm. The seemingly primordial body stretching out towards the woman from the right is a man with two horns protruding from his head. He kneels with a regretful, imploring expression. Though the colors are bright and splendid, they cannot conceal the anguish the painter has left in the picture. (Wang Che-hsiung, Hwang Ming-che, Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, 1992, pp. 4-5)

Perhaps the artist wishes to use the picture to convey his ideas about the topics of family and marriage, to use a 'narrative' style to interpret these symbolic figures. Michell Hwang's works always seem to be suspended in the air, entirely in their own realm. The bold brushstrokes reduce the intent of the concrete forms, while the flowing lines and alternating colors create a sense of rhythm and tension. There is no set depictive technique in the work; instead it directly presents the spiritual essence of the artist. Through this image, the viewer can individualize the forms, turn emotions into icons and engage in a deeper exploration of the soul.

Related Info

Modern & Contemporary Asian Art

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Taipei

Sunday, December 5, 2010, 2:30pm