by Qilu Cai

32"x24"x1 1/8" (807 W x 605 H x 35 D mm)

Oil Painting on Canvas

Concept

Life's farewells are often lessons we were never taught. How does one truly say goodbye, allowing the heart to find peace? This work emerges from the artist's profound personal experience with loss, seeking to express through brushstrokes the complex, often wordless whirlwind of emotions that accompany parting from loved ones.

Within the canvas, farewell is not a final end. The cherished figures of family and lovers, though their forms may fade from sight, do not truly depart. With evocative strokes, the artist tenderly transforms them into intangible presences—becoming a breeze that gently touches the hair, whispering solace; becoming the warmth of sunlight resting upon the shoulder, offering enduring companionship.

The work transcends surface sorrow, seeking a deeper tranquility. It silently conveys that love is not severed by death; the spirits of those who have passed merge with the air we breathe and the warmth we feel, becoming part of nature's eternal rhythm. This is not forgetting, but a more profound form of remembrance and coexistence. It reminds us: learning to say goodbye is learning to let love continue in another form—becoming the light that illuminates the path forward in life.