Walasse Ting started out as an abstract painter and later began focusing on the human form in the 1970s. After living in New York City for more than a decade, he became well-acquainted with many celebrated American pop artists, such as Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and Roy Lichtenstein. Ting and these other artists often created works centering on a topic that reflected truthfully their lives: the female body and flowers. To Ting, flowers and women are inseparable. He spent his whole life exploring the seductive beauty of women, and he was an expert at depicting their inherent softness and attractiveness. On the artist’s canvas, women are invariably accompanied by flowers, birds, cats—any objects of vivid beauty.

Ting once said, “Whenever I see an attractive woman or a beautiful flower, they always trigger my elusive sensitivity. Appreciating them makes me feel alive and active. They give me feelings I never had before, as if I were reborn out of those beautiful things. I use colors of various tones to ignite energy and love on the canvas.” While residing in Paris, Ting was fascinated and influenced by Henri Matisse’s works. He pursued the same purity and fullness as Matisse did in his paintings.