Artwork Description

Title: Before Bath Baby Picture
Artist: Shaoli Chen
Date: 2014
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 31.5 x 25.6 in (80 x 65 cm)

Artwork Identification:
This work presents an intimate domestic tableau rendered with refined technical skill and emotional warmth. In the foreground reclines a nude woman, serene and composed, accompanied by a resting ginger cat and scattered fruit. Behind her, a traditional Chinese courtyard scene unfolds: two women bathe an infant, while another tends to a young child. The delicate layering of figures and space enriches the narrative, portraying maternal care, femininity, and the cyclical nature of life.

Artistic Style and Influences:
Shaoli Chen masterfully blends the compositional elegance of Chinese court paintings with the tactile realism of Western oil portraiture. His careful use of line and color recalls the decorative traditions of Ming and Qing scroll art, while the modeling of the central figure bears echoes of Renaissance naturalism. The harmonious juxtaposition of ancient visual culture with contemporary figuration is a hallmark of Chen’s distinctive aesthetic.

Historical Context:
Shaoli Chen, born in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province in 1950, is a distinguished professor and master tutor at Nanjing University of the Arts. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in oil painting in 1976 and later earned a master’s degree in Arts in 1989. A member of the China Artists Association and executive director of the Jiangsu Oil Painting Society, Chen has been instrumental in shaping the evolution of modern Chinese oil painting. His work navigates the intersection of tradition and modernity with poetic sensitivity.

Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation:
The painting is in very good condition. Surface textures and pigments remain vibrant and intact, with no evidence of flaking, cracking, or prior restoration.

Artistic Significance:
Before Bath Baby Picture is emblematic of Shaoli Chen’s broader oeuvre—rooted in cultural memory yet reimagined through a contemporary lens. It exemplifies his commitment to reinterpreting Chinese aesthetic history through a personal and painterly approach. This piece offers a quiet reflection on family, nurture, and the enduring grace of the human form.