Time

Taiwanese painting Huang Mingchun is committed to capturing the ever-vanishing passage of time with his paintbrush. In order to perfect his technique of depicting the constantly diminishing colours in nature, he abandoned the use of blue pigments - only red, yellow, and green are used in his paintings. Red and green are mixed to produce hues of blue and purple. Who Am I No. 2 (Lot 186) appears to be a blurred image, as if the camera has failed to bring into focus a fast-moving object. Huang Mingchun attempts to express the notion that life is similar to a journey - movements can expend time, but it also leaves traces. There is no clear delineation in the painting. The blurred image is akin to the trajectory of time that guides the affective imagination of the viewers. It inspires selfreflection through the fleeting nature of time and the myriad of everyday encounters. Time (Lot 187) demonstrates his unique approach in colours and brilliant lighting effects. The animated interplay of light and shadow energises this still life painting. Huang Mingchun uses delicate brushwork to bring out the translucency of the petals. The orchid on the coffee table is the focal point of the composition - rays of light shower from the window at the back of the room. The fleeting moment of the afternoon atmosphere is frozen in the painting, thus indicating the passage of time.