At two times and places

1680 $

This painting was created in 2019. This year is the third year of college. I started to prepare for my graduation work, so I tried paintings with more concepts, depth and formal unity. In these paintings, you Being able to begin to see a more specific me. Such attempts did add weight to the work, but it was only a small step compared to the depth that would later come with the weight of life. Then came the COVID-19 epidemic at the end of the year, and the future that people expected changed its face, either urgently or slowly.

The painting is painted with thin colors and is completed in one go.
What is recorded is a short dialogue between Xing'an Mountains, reindeer and people.

Inches: x in
Size without the frame: x cm
Country: China
Date: 2019
Materials: Oil paint on linen
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.

If you would like to collect this artwork or know more about the artist, please contact us.

Reference view

oil on canvas landscape paintings Oil painting named At two times and places

art online name At two times and places

Artwork Interpretation

In terms of composition, the juxtaposition of two figures, deer, and forest scenery creates a subtle spatial tension. It is similar to Bruegel the Elder's epic presentation of rural scenes, yet abandons grand narratives. With daily - life - like postures of figures, it builds a stage for dialogue between time and space in the natural field, allowing viewers to perceive the folds of time in tranquility.

The use of color takes natural color systems as the base. The red headscarves become visual anchors, breaking the calmness of forest green and earth brown. It can be compared to Cézanne's exploration of color structure. By the collision of red and natural colors, it breaks the flatness of the picture. Meanwhile, using colors to symbolize the connection between figures and nature, the present and the past, makes color a code for the flow of time and space.

The brushwork technique combines realism and expressiveness. The delicacy of the figures' clothing patterns and the roughness of the deer's body texture anchor the realistic texture; the brushstrokes of the background forest are like natural writing, conveying the pursuit of brush intention in Lin Fengmian's "integration of Chinese and Western". By different brushwork rhythms, it distinguishes the subject and the environment, strengthening the time - space overlap of "two times and two places", making the picture wander between reality and poetry.

In terms of content and theme, focusing on "in two times and two places", the similar attire and different postures of the two figures seem to be projections of the same soul in different time and space. The deer and the forest become eternal witnesses of nature. Coinciding with Frida Kahlo's diverse exploration of self - identity, yet in a more implicit natural context, it explores the existence state of individuals in the long river of time and space, a philosophical inquiry into the relationship between life, nature, and time.

In terms of emotional expression, it is restrained and profound. The quiet postures of the figures and the peaceful lying of the deer convey reverence for nature and contemplation of time and space. The passion of red headscarves blends with the serenity of nature, telling the loneliness and resonance of individuals in two times and two places. In the context of contemporary painting, this painting uses nature as a mirror to reflect the life trajectory in the folds of time and space, continuing art's eternal gaze at the essence of existence, like a silent natural poem manuscript, slowly unfolding the dialogue between time - space and life in viewers' hearts.

Recommended Works (Focus on Nature Imagery & Humanistic Symbols)

Caspar David Friedrich, Abbey in the Oakwood：Solemn figures, gloomy nature, conveying spiritual contemplation via religious symbols
Henri Rousseau, The Dream：Primitive nature, fantasy figures, building surreal humanistic narratives with jungle symbols
Wu Guanzhong, Spring Like Threads：Poetic nature, simple figures, blending Eastern humanistic moods through line symbols
Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World：Lonely figures, vast nature, highlighting human resilience with scene symbols
He Duoling, House with Attic：Literary figures, bleak nature, expressing humanistic feelings via architectural symbols

FAQs

Q1: Why are there two similar female figures in the painting?

A1: The two women appear as variations of the same person, or as projections across different times and spaces. They gaze toward one another while maintaining distance, suggesting an inner dialogue, the coexistence of parallel worlds, or the entanglement of memory and reality.

Q2: What is the symbolic role of the red shawl?

A2: The red shawl acts as the visual focal point, resonating vividly against the subdued forest background. Red embodies warmth and vitality, yet it may also allude to identity, fate, or spiritual connection—becoming a silent thread that binds the two figures together.

Q3: How does the antler-like element in the foreground function?

A3: The antlers stretch across the space between the two figures, forming a natural boundary and a symbolic barrier. They both separate the subjects of two possible realms and reference themes of nature, life, and cyclical renewal, enriching the painting with layers of metaphor.

Q4: Why is the forest background rendered with such restraint?

A4: The setting avoids excessive detail, instead relying on calm, even tones to uphold the overall mood. This subtle treatment emphasizes the dramatic relationship between the figures and the antlers, while imbuing the scene with a quiet, weighty presence of nature.

Q5: What psychological atmosphere does the painting convey?

A5: Between Two Times and Places carries both the weight of reality and the ambiguity of dream. The figures’ silent exchange of glances, the antlers’ obstruction, and the stillness of the forest converge into a “suspended moment,” allowing the viewer to sense the intersections of identity, time, and inner self.

What should I pay attention to when buying an artwork or its derivatives?

A: Click here to view ARTPHILOSO's Guide for Collectors.

More paintings from this series：

Symbiosis

Moist salty sea breeze

This painting contains the kernel of all the stories I would tell.

3180 $

Disturb 2

The people and natural objects in the painting form a stable order.

70 x 90 cm2380 $

A Restless Summer 15

This is a painting built upon the grammar of impasto, structured by the interplay of cool and warm hues, and driven by rhythmic brushwork that shapes emotion.

40 x 40 cm1200 $

A Restless Summer

Large fields of coral and orange-red generate a temperature of flesh, while the fingertips flash with ultramarine, violet, and lemon yellow, mimicking the glisten of sweat and light.