Lovers by the Riverside

This scene captures a slice of urban life, a vignette of two lovers walking intimately along a lakeside. Close by in a boat on the river, two women face the couple as if they are observing them, while to the side, a man turns his body to the boat prow as if paying no interest to the lovers’ behavior. There are no dramatic gestures or facial expressions; the unclear, mysterious personal relationships of the five are suggested in their incongruous positions. To give them a fresh, clear aquatic background, the artist pushed trees, flowers, and distant mountains to the top of the composition. In addition to a lack of line and modeling, the painting’s reliance on areas of wash rather than brushwork gives the scene a muted quality.

Beginning his working life with a career in psychiatric nursing, the Hong Kong–based Chu Hing Wah has earned a reputation as an artist of psychological themes. Chu expresses his personal sensibility and philosophy through a simple and straightforward approach, applying repeated layers of opaque color onto absorbent paper.