Chao Er Dai

1974

Well

POST WINGS

This work almost abandons figurative elements, retaining only a dark brushstroke slanting in from the right side of the canvas, resembling traces left by the receding tide. The horizontal layers of ink above appear as distant shores or reefs, and also as the remnants of wind and waves captured in the air; below, a large expanse of blank space combined with a soft blue wash forms an unnamed area.

Upon closer inspection, several fishing boats are lined up in the distance, either docked or stranded, with extremely simplified lines, existing almost like symbols. They do not assert themselves, yet distinctly indicate this is a view of a fishing village's coastline during low tide. As the tide recedes, sandbanks are exposed to the air, and the boats are still between water and land, presenting a moment of labor paused. That pale blue and blank space represent not only the residual imprint of seawater but also the flat extension of the sandbank under the light.

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