Chao Er Tai

1994

泛黃

POST WINGS

"Autumn Forest Light and Shadow" is a work from Zhao Erdai during his seventy-eight-year-old phase. The scene portrays groups of trees standing amidst a pervasive autumn atmosphere, with yellow leaves and orange-red hues interspersed. The branches have a soft and gentle stroke rather than a sharp edge. The fallen leaves swirl in the air, yet they do not convey desolation; instead, they present a warm, slow, and natural rhythm. This is not a lonely autumn scene, but a forest landscape filled with light and reflection.

Unlike Zhao Erdai's previous works that feature a calm critique of the world and repetitive writings on isolation, this piece no longer points towards questioning or confrontation. The fallen leaves here do not symbolize decay, but rather a return to one's roots; autumn does not signify an end, but a serene pause after a life journey has been completed. The scene does not depict lonely trees or solitary figures; the trees exist in groups, interconnected, indicating a shift in the artist's mindset from solitude to coexistence.

Crucially, Zhao Erdai personally inscribes "Seventy-eight Elder" at the signature location. This self-designation is not simply a marker of age, nor a melancholic self-reminder, but a clear and calm recognition of self—an acknowledgment of time and a retrospective acceptance of his life experiences. He no longer rushes to critique the state of the world nor attempts to argue for himself, but quietly stands within time, observing how life has arrived at this moment.

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