Door (House) by Tao Xingke, 2009, with lit stone paving leading to a pale doorway beside a steep wooden staircase against a dark wall

Door (House) — golden sunlight, ladder, and doorway detail

Door (House) — delicate brushwork on old wall and wooden door

Door (House) — warm home light and textured surface detail

Door (House) — signature and painted surface detail

Established

Door (House)

Name: Door (House)
Brand: Paint For Heart
Price: 3515.0 SGD
Availability: InStock

Artist Tao Xingke

Creation Date 2009

Material Oil on canvas

Size 100 x 80 cm

Category original

Make this artwork part of your collection Available

Current total $3,515.00

Free shipping On orders of US$500 or more.
Secure checkout Your payment information is encrypted.
A one-of-a-kind original This is the only original.
Collection certificate included A collection certificate will accompany this artwork.
7-day return requests We’re here to help with return requests, and your local legal rights still apply.

Perspectives

A closer look

Artwork Notes

Art appreciation

Rounded cobbles fill the foreground, their irregular edges picked out by ochre, grey and small touches of pale light. At the right, a rough wooden stair or ladder climbs sharply beside a dark wall. Its treads alternate between yellow light and brown shadow. The pale opening at upper left recedes in the opposite direction, past upright posts and a low threshold.

The composition is divided between the low, spreading rhythm of stones and the compressed vertical rise of the stair. Dark timber and wall give the right side weight; the brighter passage opens the left side without dissolving its structure. Tao varies the finish accordingly: nearer stones keep broken edges and thicker marks, while the farther opening is simplified into softer planes.

No person is shown, yet worn stones, steps and threshold record how the building is used. Tao Xingke has repeatedly painted Guangxi people, countryside and village architecture. That sustained attention explains his choice of an uncelebrated architectural fragment: he treats the stair and passage as records of regional daily life, observed through material, construction and changing light rather than picturesque description. Cool light at the distant opening contrasts with warmer light on the steps, clarifying the horizontal passage and the stair’s steep rise.

Theme

Style and context

Architectural painting often uses doors, passages and stairs to organise space. Realist observation distinguishes stone, timber and plaster, while selective handling allows light to join surfaces without outlining every detail. Cropped views of buildings also shift attention from a complete façade to the physical details through which people enter and move.

Door (House) works within that tradition while remaining tied to Tao Xingke’s Guangxi subjects. The steep stair and the receding opening create opposing directions, and warm light briefly connects them. Regional architecture therefore supplies more than a backdrop: its worn materials and practical structure are the subject of the painting.

Artist Profile

About the artist

Tao Xingke, born in 1968 in Guangxi, is a Chinese oil painter of Zhuang ethnicity. He entered the Oil Painting Department of Guangxi Arts Institute in 1988 and graduated in 1992. During his student years, his works including Dong Ethnic Man, Hometown, and Little River were published in Guangxi Daily. After graduation, he worked as a designer at Shenzhen Vanke Boutique Company from 1992 to 1994, then devoted himself fully to oil painting.

His practice has long centered on people, regional life, and the visual memory of Guangxi, with a realist language shaped by careful drawing, controlled colour, and attention to character. His representative works include Years Like Smoke, Young Woman, Companion, Devotion, and Brother Waiting for Sister to Sing. In 2012, Brother Waiting for Sister to Sing received the Excellence Award in the China selection of a Louvre exhibition project in France.

Tao's paintings move between ethnic minority portraiture, regional landscape, and quiet figure studies. The Guangxi countryside — its Miao and Dong communities, river valleys, and village architecture — provides his recurring subjects. His handling of silver ornament, dark fabric, and controlled light gives cultural specificity without reducing the sitter to costume.

Original Art

Related works

Custom Portraits

Still looking for the artwork you have in mind?

Perhaps a custom portrait can hold your love for family, friends, or a cherished pet on canvas—with tenderness and quiet dignity.

Contemporary Pet Portrait — Emerging Artist

Every companionship has its own familiar gaze, small gestures, and everyday habits...

Contemporary Human Portrait — Emerging Artist

What makes someone precious is often the character behind an expression and...

Classical Pet Portrait — Emerging Artist

A classical portrait need not make a pet feel distant; it can...

Classical Human Portrait — Emerging Artist

Some feelings need no exaggeration; restraint and order can hold them more...

Abstract Pet Portrait — Emerging Artist

Abstract portraiture does not seek to copy every outward detail; it looks...

Abstract Human Portrait — Emerging Artist

A person’s presence can sometimes reveal the truth of a relationship more...

Pet Portrait — Established Artist

What you bring is more than a photograph; it is an expression...

Human Portrait — Established Artist

A human portrait often carries more than a face; it can hold...

Before you choose

A few things you may wish to know

We hope these notes make choosing and receiving an original artwork feel a little clearer and more reassuring.

Is each Original artwork one of a kind?

Yes. Original artworks are unique pieces. Once the work is sold, the same artwork will not be offered again as another original.

Does the Original artwork include a collector certificate?

Original artwork sold directly by PFH comes with a collector certificate provided by Dafen Yihai Auction House. The individual Product page lists the Artist, medium, dimensions and other verified details for that work.

How much does delivery cost?

Enter the delivery address at checkout to see whether delivery is available and which service and charge apply. Orders of US$500 or more qualify for free shipping where that option is available for the address. See our Shipping Policy.

How is the artwork packed for delivery?

PFH chooses protective packing according to the artwork’s size, frame and destination. If the work needs a special packing or customs arrangement, PFH will contact you before dispatch. See our Shipping Policy.

Can I return an original artwork?

You may request a return of an Original artwork within 7 days after delivery. The artwork must be returned to PFH. After PFH receives and verifies it, we issue the applicable refund within 3 working days. See our Refund Policy for the complete conditions.

Can I ask questions before purchasing?

Yes. Contact PFH before checkout if you need more photos, condition details, framing information, or help confirming whether the work fits your space.

Are duties and taxes included?

Product pricing and shipping do not always include destination duties, taxes, or import fees. These may be collected according to local rules.

What happens after I place the order?

After the order is placed, PFH confirms the order information and prepares the artwork for dispatch. We will contact you if the destination, packing or customs arrangement needs clarification, and share the carrier’s tracking information or delivery updates when available. For a question about the order, email hello@paintforheart.com with the order number.

Language & Currency

Support & Services

About Us

More