Since the 1970s, Chinese expatriate painter, Walasse Ting has captivated viewers with the electric colours and light-hearted mood that inform his approach to the female figure. His portraiture of women, often in striking poses, are painted with soft, rounded brushstrokes of the Chinese ink painting tradition, elevating the overall sensuousness of his subjects, a technique that is strongly evident in the painting featured here, Nude (Lot 1352). The distinctive flowing strokes of calligraphy executed in ink and acrylic express Ting's love for exotic colours and the vibrant lifestyle he found in Tahiti, while the large sweeping patches and intermittently splashed acrylics found in Vanilla Flavor (Lot 1350) draw associations of Abstract Expressionism. The traditionally demure and reserved portraits are replaced with Ting's striking paintings; women whose rouged cheeks perhaps hide their blushing, appear equally passionate about life and their sexuality in Portrait of Ladies (Lot 1351). Through his artwork, Ting consistently strives for the transient, which can be discerned from his poems: "love, resembling a butterfly when it comes, and a flower on paper when it goes." While initially captivating the audience with the sheer vibrancy of his paintings, Ting's paintings are memorable for their playfulness and distinctive perspective of portraiture.