CHI-TU (Red Hare)

Artist: Tien Chang

134 × 72 cm | (Original is Acrylic on Xuan Paper)

Limit Edition: Giclee on Ultra Smooth Fine Art Paper

Inscription: Half Monk, Half Secular, 2020
Symbol of Fortune & Momentum

Chi Tu (Red Hare)

In Chinese cultural tradition, Chi Tu—commonly known in English as the Red Hare—is a legendary steed associated with exceptional speed, courage, loyalty, and strength. By choosing this title, Tien Chang does not illustrate a particular historical narrative. Instead, he draws upon the cultural image of Chi Tu to express the horse’s heroic character and extraordinary spirit.

The horse extends horizontally across the composition. Its body is broad and full, while its neck forms a powerful arch and its head inclines slightly downward. Rather than showing the animal in a dramatic gallop, the artist presents it in a moment of contained energy. The relationship between the lowered head and curved neck conveys concentration, determination, and readiness for action.

Red is the work’s dominant visual language. Layers of crimson, scarlet, pink, and violet-red overlap and dissolve into one another, surrounding the horse with a sense of heat and energy. These variations in colour define the volume and structure of the body while creating an internal sense of movement. Luminous passages appear to pass through the horse’s form, giving the intense red composition space, light, and breath.

Tien Chang constructs the horse through broad, forceful brushwork, flowing colour, concise lines, and open contours. The boundaries between the horse and its surroundings are allowed to soften, connecting the figure with the pictorial space. Its power therefore arises not only from its physical form, but also from the tension of the colour and the rhythm of the brushwork.

Chi Tu (Red Hare) portrays more than a red horse. It embodies a passionate, resolute, and intensely vital spirit. The work transforms the legendary Chinese image of Chi Tu into a contemporary visual language and exemplifies a defining quality of Tien Chang’s horse paintings: colour creates vital resonance, form concentrates strength, and posture conveys courage, dignity, and inner spirit.