Chao's multifaceted themes can be summarized into two major genres-one that employs geometric symbols and elements of literati painting to express traditional Eastern culture and philosophy, while another features animals and plants such as flowers, birds, insects and fish, to express his aspiration and hope towards life. In our Day Sale this season, Abstract Composition (Lot 1111) and Blooming and Falling off (Lot 1112) are representatives for both genres. In his distinctive style, the work displays the consistent thinking and creative process of the artist. The interweaving pattern in red and green at the centre of Abstract Composition creates a striking contrast. Composed of dots and lines, the concentric rings spread outward like ripples, creating a complex layering and spatiality under the gradation of ink background. The vivid florescent colours are applied as the graphic structural component; while the ink shadings, in the long history of Chinese landscape paintings, are elements that can freely define space and dimension. Chao not only creates a striking visual effect with the methods of keeping blank spaces, the gradation of ink, and the combination of colours, but also manages to integrate the traditional Chinese spatial perspective with the flat surface seen in Western abstract expressionism. The bamboo twigs slant from top right to the lower left, while the leaves are placed on the upper left and the lower right. Attempting to balance the composition, he challenges our visual experience by expanding outwards from the central focal point. The bamboo leaves seem to penetrate the ripples. The explicit and rapid brush strokes are full of power and swiftness, creating a strong visual impact. At the same time, the brush stroke at the periphery of the work suggests the artist's intention of breaking free from the restraint of the pictorial space. This echoes the grandeur and momentum described in the Chinese traditional landscape paintings-"painting thousands of miles of landscape within inches of pictorial space."

On the top Blooming and Falling off, Chao depicts a blossoming white flower, placed amidst a light ink background. Layering with diluted white colour, Chao creates the varying shades and the shadows of the petals. Compare with the meticulous rendition of the flower, Chao gradually loosens up his controlled brushstroke while the bamboo leaves from the top, while the bottom part of the leaves almost is presented in an splash-ink manner. The heavily inked leaves nearly takeup half of the painting. Although Chao uses intense ink shades for his freehand brushwork on the bamboo leaves, the image is not a massive block of lifeless darkness. The artist manages to create depths through layering different intensity and dampness of the ink. The addition of the fluorescent green details serves to bring lights amidst the darkness. The greyish ink shadings stand out from the two-dimensional space; the actuality of the space is enhanced through subtle layering. At first sight, the white flower, its fluorescent pink outlining, the bamboo leaves and the ink-stain background seem to be individual elements. These are, in fact, commonly seen symbols in Chao's work. He transcends a brief moment of blossoming beauty through the fusion of those elements in his ink and colours. These symbolic elements can be seen as a summary of his artistic expedition. The blossoming and falling off of flowers is actually the circle of life in nature. Chao views the surrounding in a with a positive attitude. In the work, the flower and the leaves are symbols of nature; yet they go beyond life and death. The artist views the beauty and imperfection in life with an magnanimous and open-minded attitude. In Blooming and Falling off , the depiction of the flower in a nearly realistic manner, to the abstract simplification of the bamboo leave reflect , both the persistent and carefree life philosophy of the artist.