Page 217 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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Pearl Buck remarked, “…these paintings of old Chinese art objects can be trusted. The

objects themselves have stood the test of time, have passed through many hands and been

well loved. They can be lived with for centuries ahead, as they have been lived with,

already in centuries past.” (Buck 1945, Introduction)

The correspondence among the woman artist’s body, the object, and the painting was

visually articulated by the photograph in the New York Times report on Prezzi’s 1947

exhibition. The artist, palette in hand, posed next to an elaborately framed painting in her

studio apartment (Fig.71). The image of the artist formed a parallel to that of the Tang

tomb figurine in her painting. Their three quarter view, oval-shaped faces, fine costumes

and the correspondence in hairstyle and arm position alluded to the interconnectedness

between the female artist, the Chinese object and her painting.

For Loo, Prezzi’s paintings of Chinese antiquities were not only artworks themselves

but also fanciful advertisements for his business. In this light, the exhibition of Wilma’s

works became an exhibition within an exhibition. The 1945 catalogue of Wilma Prezzi’s

painting exhibition, for instance, could be viewed as C. T. Loo’s sale catalogues of

Chinese objects except that the objects were illustrated by oil paintings rather than

photographs. The text in the catalogue was devoted to the description of the objects in the

painting rather than the painting itself. The painting entitled Jade in the catalogue for her

1947 exhibition revealed the strong commercial motivation behind her work (Fig. 72).

This painting depicted a contemporary Chinese-looking young woman handling her

bracelet. Her downcast eyes immediately draw the viewer’s attention to her jewelry. This