Artwork Description

Title:Youth Series 71
Artist: Huiling Wu
Date: 2017
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 15.7 x 19.7 inches (40 x 50 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Youth Series 71 (2017) by Huiling Wu is an evocative oil painting on canvas measuring 40 by 50 centimeters. The work portrays a seated woman adorned in a red hat, yellow scarf, and orange gloves—an arresting palette that contrasts with the subdued backdrop. A single green apple rests to her right, adding a symbolic accent. The background is divided between a stark black field and a patterned white area dotted with black circles, creating a dynamic visual tension within the composition.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This work reflects Wu’s signature synthesis of realism and decorative modernism. The crisp delineation of forms, combined with bold chromatic contrasts, recalls the aesthetics of early 20th-century figurative art, with subtle affinities to Fauvism’s color boldness and the stylized elegance of modern portraiture. The polka-dot pattern introduces a playful Pop-inflected note, balancing the otherwise contemplative tone.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2017, Youth Series 71 belongs to a broader contemporary dialogue that reinterprets traditional portraiture through modern sensibilities. Wu’s subject, poised between introspection and vivid artifice, reflects a global cultural moment where identity and visual self-fashioning intersect with consumer aesthetics.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
For detailed provenance and certificate of authenticity, please contact the gallery directly.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in excellent condition. The surface exhibits no visible abrasions, paint loss, or restorations. The canvas remains taut, and the pigment retains its original saturation and luster.

6. Artistic Significance
Youth Series 71 exemplifies Huiling Wu’s nuanced approach to contemporary portraiture—merging symbolic detail with strong color harmonies. Its sophisticated interplay of figuration, pattern, and cultural signifiers ensures enduring relevance and appeal, making it a standout acquisition for collectors attuned to modern and postmodern dialogues in portrait art.