Jonathan Ching

The painting is in good condition, as is the canvas, which is clear and taut. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no indication of retouching. The paint layers are intact.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Jonathan Ching transforms a Sante d' Orazio photograph into a setting worthy of Salman Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence, a magical realist novel from which Ching's painting borrows its title. The artist unleashes his imagination on a sepia photograph of an Italian villa and, with his impasto strokes, turns it into a fairy-tale bedroom. The heavy drapery of an antique four-poster bed is pulled back to reveal a lake harboring a pair of solid aluminum ducks. The birds, unbothered by the wondrous circumstances that surround them, swim through a textured surface of brown, violet, and orange. The folds and creases of the bed's canopy leap off the canvas, begging to be touched. The thick paint reflects light just so and bathes the canvas in a glow reminiscent of sunset.

Ching, one of the founding members of the art collective Surrounded By Water, (which counted amongst its members Geraldine Javier, Yasmin Sison, Mariano Ching, Wire Tuazon, Kieye Miranda, Lena Cobangbang, and Louie Cordero), began incorporating objects into his paintings in 2009. Previous artistic endeavors using this technique saw his canvases populated by creatures made from polymer clay and metal.

In The Day's Last Light, A Golden Lake is a poetic example of Ching's ability to weave literary and visual references into a conversation piece that invites you to explore its narrative potential. This bedroom exists in Rushdie's "half-discovered world" of "visionary, revelatory dream-poetry" and you become the traveler, a teller of tales who "could dream in seven languages."