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Lot Essay
Under the grey gloomy skies, a field of yellow grass sways gently in the breeze. Alongside the road is a neon light adorned betel nut stall with two betel nut beauties standing by. Fragrant Grass (Lot 516) depicts a scene of a unique Taiwanese culture, and is created by Liu Xiaodong with his distinctive realism style that draws inspirations from intimate connections with everyday life. Known for his depictions of real life scenarios, Liu's paintings are also reflections of individual lifestyles found in the real world.
Speckles of grey on the painting illustrate a car window that was showered with rain. The perspective of the painting puts the audience in the driver's seat heading towards the betel nut stall. The world outside the window is blurry but still realistic, which makes a connection with the betel nut beauties at the stall; although their features are indistinct, the typical betel nut beauty style has already become a common Taiwanese culture. Hence, the two betel nut beauties in this painting are not representative of two individual entities, but rather a representation of a social custom.
Celebrated American painter, Eric Fischl, is also known for his realism paintings of everyday realities. He uses swift brushstrokes to create realistic figurative portrayals of people, with hidden and even unpleasant aspects of life revealed in his paintings. In contrast, Liu's brushstrokes are slow yet candid, resembling his understanding of the world and his perception of life - though ambiguous and obscured, the truth must always be pursued.
Speckles of grey on the painting illustrate a car window that was showered with rain. The perspective of the painting puts the audience in the driver's seat heading towards the betel nut stall. The world outside the window is blurry but still realistic, which makes a connection with the betel nut beauties at the stall; although their features are indistinct, the typical betel nut beauty style has already become a common Taiwanese culture. Hence, the two betel nut beauties in this painting are not representative of two individual entities, but rather a representation of a social custom.
Celebrated American painter, Eric Fischl, is also known for his realism paintings of everyday realities. He uses swift brushstrokes to create realistic figurative portrayals of people, with hidden and even unpleasant aspects of life revealed in his paintings. In contrast, Liu's brushstrokes are slow yet candid, resembling his understanding of the world and his perception of life - though ambiguous and obscured, the truth must always be pursued.