Pan Tao has the calm, smiling easiness of many women from the north of China, she is deeply female without being too feminine, she is a 'natural woman' who looks at love, bodies, birth like metaphors of the whole universe, of Life. I see in her paintings a 'panic' atmosphere that involves everything. Human beings, mainly nude, are just so much part of the universe, that a flow of vital energy passes through them.

I feel a warmth about Pan Tao, as a person, that makes me think she is a true, caring woman, and when, like in many cases, she manages to convey that very warmth to the viewers through her works, she achieves a great task, difficult to reach for many artists who are more concerned with external, superficial issues rather than with their inner being. It might be quite obvious to say that, but I believe this ability comes from the best part of female nature. Why should we give it up for some ordinary 'male' rationality?

Exploring the roots of life: Pan Tao's cosmic motherhood

Monica Dematt