庞涛 (中国，1934年生)

Born in 1934 in Shanghai to two artists parents, Tao Pang studied and taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. During that time, her research focused on art materials and contemporary painting in Paris. She is most well-known for drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese vases, deconstructing them into abstract paintings as an endeavor to strike a balance between opposites; old and new, tradition and innovation, abstract and concrete.

Considering historical context, Red #2 is quite powerful. 1989 marked the year of the infamous Tiananmen Square protest and the government crackdown that followed. The composition contains elements resembling a bird in flight, perhaps an allusion to the escape to freedom that the protestors were not afforded. Additionally, the elements seem to struggle against one another, perhaps a further evidence of the influence the conflict had on her work. The use of bold colour and flatness of the composition gives the painting a raw and immediate quality. It is as if Tao is channeling the primal emotion and vulnerability of humanity.