Eastern Gouache

2006

Length:116.7 x Width:90.8 x Height:2 (cm)

Tsao Ying (b. 1952, Sanchong, New Taipei City) began her career in education after graduating from Taipei Municipal Teachers College for Women (now University of Taipei). She later pursued advanced studies at National Taichung Teachers College (now National Taichung University of Education) and earned her master’s degree from the Department of Fine Arts at Tunghai University. Tsao studied under ink painters Cheng Hsi-Ya (1947-) and Huang Tsai-Sung (1951-), as well as nihonga artist Chien Chin-Ching (1955-). Specializing in mineral pigment painting, her works have been selected for the Central Taiwan Art Exhibition, Dadun Fine Arts Exhibition, Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition, and Taiyang Fine Arts Exhibition. She is also an active member of the Nantou Fine Arts Association, Taiwan Nihonga Association, and Chingliu Painting Society.
Winter Chill is part of Tsao’s Window Sentiments series, in which the window becomes a metaphor for the constrained individual—a symbolic frame through which life’s quiet sorrow and emotional solitude are expressed. This piece portrays a winter city scene: an empty street, a lone dog walking with its head lowered, and withered trees evoke a sense of bitter cold and quiet desolation. Tsao composes the image using the vertical and horizontal lines of buildings, crosswalks, lamp posts, and railings. Through a montage-like layering of urban elements, she creates a fragmented visual narrative that reflects emotional isolation. The work’s somber tone and structured composition give form to the psychological weight of winter. This piece was awarded Honorable Mention in the Nihonga category at the 69th Taiyang Fine Arts Exhibition in 2006.

Accession number:20170300270