- Size：28 × 28 cm
- Material：Oil painting, Panel, Canvas
- Year：2024
- Price：台幣 NT$442,000
- Depiction：
In his paintings, he meticulously adjusts found images based on his knowledge of light, ensuring that the hues and textures of the vessels are rendered under natural illumination. This careful manipulation allows flowers and vessels to seamlessly merge into the pictorial reality. The natural sidelight, which he consistently emphasizes, imbues his still-life compositions with a sense of tranquility—reminiscent of sunlight streaming through a window, gently illuminating a quiet room and casting a serene glow over the tabletop.
Within his works, the aesthetics of Song dynasty Bogutu and 17th-century Dutch painting converge. Bogutu was originally created as a catalog of treasured antiquities, and Zhou Chuan-Chih’s meticulously scaled depictions of East Asian antique porcelain seem to follow this lineage. However, in his compositions, these vessels serve as flower vases rather than collectible artifacts, diverging from the original purpose of Bogutu.
Meanwhile, 17th-century Dutch still-life painting—an artistic tradition Zhou deeply studied and copied during his training in restoration at the Repin Academy—also resonates in his works. The juxtaposition of ephemeral, blooming flowers with timeless antique porcelain immediately recalls the vanitas theme of Dutch still lifes. Yet, the presence of East Asian vessels evokes Buddhist perspectives on transience, inviting contemplation on the impermanence of life.
This sentiment is beautifully encapsulated in Wang Guowei’s verse from Butterfly Love Flower:
"Nothing in this world can be kept—youth fades in the mirror, flowers fall from the trees."Zhou Chuan-Chih’s painting practice, akin to Wang Yangming’s method of gezhuzhi (investigating things), aligns with Buddhist insight—suggesting that only by observing an object down to its minutest details can one truly grasp its illusory nature. His haomang realism (meticulous micro-realism) compels viewers to hold their breath and gaze in stillness, unable to look away. This captivation arises not merely from his technical prowess but from the profound philosophical depth embedded within his works.
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