Oil painting, 116.5 x 80 cm, 1975

From the paintings of Li Mei-shu (1902-1983), a renowned Taiwanese artist, we can see how much he liked apparels and was even inspired from them. In 1975, Li Ching-kuang, the second son of Li Mei-shu, brought back some fabric from America for his wife, Chen Shu-hui. Li Mei-shu decided to paint the beautiful design and produced “Rooftop Garden,” with Chen as the subject. The life-like rooftop garden in the background is actually a fabricated creation by the artist. The painting is an ingenious juxtaposition of a real subject with an imagined setting to emphasize the beauty of the floral prints on the dress and the surrounding potted plants.


To learn more about Li Mei-shu, please go to Li Mei-shu, the “Great Wall” of Taiwanese Art Movement

Text and image are provided by The Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery
http://www.limeishu.org.tw
http://limeishu.org