On the surface, Living Reflections (2018) is a simple “shan shui” painting. The artist provides us with a panoramic view of an oblite-rating waterfall, trees, grass, houses, paths with slopes. The robust mountain is at the centre of our attention and it overlooks the lush vegetation and rocks and a shore that is rendered in dry brushstrokes. However, if we look closely, we can now clearly see the print-ed black and white collages at the bottom of the painting. They are photographed by Pryde in Tai O and Stanley and depict a rural landscape that is a distinct feature in Hong Kong. Modest and simple fishing cottages and fishermen are featured in the painting. This represents the simple but hard working lifestyle of local villagers, who are eagerly engaging in their work. These images are now hard to find in Hong Kong, as it is now mostly known as an international financial centre, and not as a fishing village it origi-nally was. Through this painting, Pryde allows us to dig back into our past to see how far we have come as people in this small city.

Despite its traditional aspects, Living Reflections (2018) also reflects Nina Pryde’s innovative and modern techniques. Chinese ink painting is regarded by some as faulty in perspective due to its flatness, however, Pryde achieves great depth in here. Tonal model-ling is used to convey the steepness and various parts of mountains. This painting can also be compared to the inventive works of Cheung Da Qian, which displays an extensive use of colour mixed with ink for a multi-dimensional effect. Living Reflections (2018) shares this use of colour, with blue tones at different points of “flow”. The artist mixes acrylic with ink to make the colour blend better.