The theme of this year's painting clearly states one - the makeup of desire. People's various desires are wrapped under various makeups. Desires are the intertwining of happiness and pain in life. Either straightforward or subtle, they will appear in makeup, forming a profound look of an era.
Overall Size: /
Size without the frame: 40 x 40 cm
Country: China
Date: 2025
Materials: Oil paint on wood
Condition: well preserved
Creative themes and style | My works revolve around the creative concept of "The land of humanity, People on the land".The people in the painting are people in nature, and the lines, shapes, and colors are close to nature. The nature in the painting is nature in the eyes of humans, existing in interaction with humans.I don’t pursue a series of works with a fixed and continuous style. I hope that the style of the pictures will synchronize with the changes in my life and always remain oscillating. The performance of the work must be in sync with the development of one's own life in order to be Sincere and powerful.Ideas are later.
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Artwork Interpretation
Figural Approach and Stylistic Language
This painting centers on the human body yet departs decisively from traditional realism. The figure is rendered with rough, gestural brushstrokes that emphasize distortion and immediacy rather than anatomical precision. This approach recalls Chaim Soutine’s treatment of the human form, where proportion is sacrificed for expressive tension, allowing the image to transcend literal likeness and enter a field of psychological and spiritual resonance.
Posture and Spatial Compression
The figure’s cramped, angular posture—legs splayed, torso twisted—creates an atmosphere of confinement and isolation. The surrounding space feels compressed, heightening a sense of psychological restriction. This compositional strategy echoes the dialogue between solitude and space found in Edward Hopper’s work, where spatial limitation conveys inner oppression and vulnerability.
Color Dynamics and Emotional Conflict
The palette balances bold contrasts within a restrained base: warm yellows and flesh tones collide with muted purples and cool grays. This chromatic interplay suggests the afterglow of intense light lingering in shadow, simultaneously evoking the physical weight of the “scorching sun” and the emotional friction of conflicting warm and cool hues. The result is a visual metaphor for weariness and unresolved tension.
Brushwork and Tactile Intensity
The surface reveals a vigorous handling of paint, combining impasto and scumbling in layered rhythms. Flesh, fabric, and shadow are not described in detail but sculpted through brushstroke itself. In this, the work resonates with Lucian Freud’s practice of building psychological depth through painterly texture—the body becomes a carrier of emotional charge, its surfaces vibrating with inner unrest.
Theme and Psychological Dimension
Beyond portraiture, the figure embodies a state of mind at “the end of the scorching sun.” The seated stillness, downward tilt of the head, and slightly ambiguous gaze suggest bewilderment, fatigue, and withdrawal—the moment after intensity subsides. Here, the scorching sun is not only natural light but also a metaphor for psychic pressure and existential strain. The figure channels this duality, transforming the residual heat of external experience into an internalized burn, lingering in gesture, color, and paint surface alike.
Similar Works Reference
Luo Zhongli, Spring Silkworms
Uses rough, expressive brushwork to convey the emotional gravity of ordinary lives, aligning with this painting’s method of using painterly force to construct atmosphere and emotion.
Francis Bacon, Self-Portrait Studies
Through distorted forms and raw immediacy, Bacon probes the depths of psychological struggle. Similarly, this painting employs non-realistic figuration as a way to confront human vulnerability and truth.
Chaim Soutine, Seated Woman
Sacrifices anatomical stability for intensity of feeling, much like the figure here, where distortion becomes a tool for inner revelation.
Lucian Freud, Naked Girl with Egg
Utilizes tactile brushwork and corporeal presence to embody psychic intimacy. The resonance lies in the commitment to the body as a psychological site, where texture and weight replace polished likeness.
Why is there a subtle interplay of purple and yellow in the skin tones of the figures?
The artist uses purple and yellow as contrasting warm and cool colors, interweaving them within the shadows and highlights of the figures' skin. This creates a visual effect that is not entirely realistic, leaning towards Expressionism. This interplay not only enhances the sense of volume but also conveys a subtle tension or ambiguous emotional resonance.
Is the elongated proportion of the figures' limbs intentional or a result of perspective?
The noticeable stretching and slight distortion of the figures' legs is a deliberate exaggeration. The artist uses perspective and distortion to guide the viewer's attention, drawing the eye gradually from the feet up towards the face. This intensifies the immersive distance between the viewer and the subject.
Why are the facial features rendered blurry instead of finely detailed?
The blurring of the face intentionally reduces individual recognizability. It transforms the figure into a symbolic representation of emotion and posture rather than a specific portrait. This approach also directs the viewer's focus more towards body language, color relationships, and the overall atmosphere, rather than solely on facial expressions.
What is the relationship between the geometric color blocks in the background and the figures?
The background consists of large areas of warm and cool color blocks, establishing a stage-like spatial quality. This geometric division creates a strong contrast with the organic lines of the figure, making the posture appear more jarring and tense. It simultaneously reinforces the abstract quality of the space.
Why does this painting feel both still yet charged with a sense of underlying movement?
The stillness comes from the figure's seated pose and the stable geometric composition of the background. The sense of movement arises from the fluid brushwork, the vibrant interplay of colors, and the dislocated posture of the limbs. This quality of stillness with underlying dynamism makes the scene feel like a frozen moment, hinting at a story that has just unfolded or is about to begin.
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