The expressionistic style of Walasse Ting's art reflects the spirited individuality of an artist who received formal academic training in art at the elite Shanghai Art Academy, however, never confined himself to his formal education. Ting's childlike and expressionistic style, show that at the soul of his work he strove for freedom and independent expression despite societal norms. Ting's propensity for living life to its full and abundant glory is apparent in his bold, wild, and playful works. His philosophy of "one life too short; one day too long" suggests a notion of living every day meaningfully but enjoyably. This outlook is immediately apparent to viewers through his often sexually explicit works which express his intent to live life pleasurably, further emphasized by his nickname, the 'thief of flowers'.

The narrative begins with his works which show attention to the primitive and child-like style in avant-garde CoBrA Group, whom he became acquainted with during his stay in Paris in 1953, most notably a Belgian member Pierre Alechinsky who became a lifelong friend. Moving on, artworks from Ting's time in New York in 1959, where he absorbed the various influences of Abstract Expressionism and Pop, are also represented. It was during this time when Ting met his closest associate, Abstract Expressionist artist Sam Francis. And finally, the final group of works showcased are those from the 1970s and later, by which time Ting had developed his own visual vocabulary of sensuous women, blossoming flowers, and playful animals. Today, Walasse Tings artworks are included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, the Shanghai Art Museum, as well as in the collections of many devoted private collectors.

Untitled (Red Horse) was executed in free and experimental brushstrokes and vivid colours, showing Ting's curiosity in the CoBrA Group which looked to children's drawing and primitive art forms for inspiration. The playful red and yellow horse against shocking pink background (Lot 545) is Ting's signature inscrutable construction of an animal in flat planes by extraordinary and imaginative colours on Chinese xuan paper.

'When I see a beautiful woman [and] I see flowers, its beauty makes me feel intangible, melancholy, love, refreshed, different, and reborn. I want to use different colours to express my inner feelings and emotions in my paintings.'
-WALASSE TING