Give You a Like

作品賞析

Tsai Tsung-Yu, the artist of Give You a Like, was inspired by the sight of a large Buddha statue placed on a car in a temple parade. In this picture, a black Mercedes sedan carries a giant model of the common “thumbs-up” gesture. It is both familiar and contradictory, so the viewers will immediately realize the gap between art and reality. Objects that have smooth surfaces, like cars or cellphones, are rarely depicted in works that focus on bringing out the texture of things. However, Tsai applied the paint either thickly or in a way that deliberately leaves the underlying color exposed, and he used simple brush strokes, so the work does not show off any craftsmanship but can still show his own artistic technique. The road is dark red—which is inconsistent with daily experience, but it highlights the black car. The background in the upper part of the painting is a light earthy yellow that creates a contrast with the rest; its rough brushstrokes convey a sense of shabbiness that contrasts with the black car. Tsai seems to challenge his own painting skills with this composition that features the “art of artlessness.”