Artwork Description

Title: 'Murmured Part 2' 呢喃之二
Artist: Pang Maokun
Date: 2010
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 130 × 90 cm (51.18 × 35.43 in)

1. Artwork Identification
Pang Maokun's 'Murmured Part 2' 呢喃之二 is a compelling oil on canvas composition, depicting a seated young woman dressed in a detailed anime-style costume, suggestive of the iconic Japanese pop-culture figure Hatsune Miku. Painted in 2010, the work measures 130 × 90 cm and presents the subject with a vivid sense of realism, offset by a soft-edged atmospheric background and theatrical lighting. The artist’s signature and date are located in the lower left of the canvas.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Executed in a refined realist technique, Pang Maokun’s style bridges classical European oil painting with distinctly contemporary cultural subjects. The smooth, almost ethereal rendering of the figure evokes a photographic immediacy, while the stylized subject matter signals the influence of cosplay, manga, and digital avatars. The work resonates with broader trends in Chinese contemporary art wherein traditional mastery of oil painting is used to comment on youth identity and mass culture.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2010, 'Murmured Part 2' emerges from a period when Chinese artists increasingly engaged with global popular culture as both inspiration and critique. Pang’s work speaks to the rise of post-Internet and postmodern figuration in China, when the figure of the "otaku girl" became symbolic of mediated identity and disembodied desire. The combination of traditional oil painting and cosplay iconography reflects tensions between painterly tradition and digital-age subjectivities.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The surface displays no signs of abrasion, loss, or discoloration. The canvas remains taut and well-stretched; the frame is stable and without blemishes. The pigments are well-preserved with no indication of fading or craquelure.

6. Artistic Significance
Murmured Part 2 stands as a representative work in Pang Maokun’s exploration of figuration and fantasy. By juxtaposing classical oil painting with youth cosplay culture, Pang challenges viewers to reconsider notions of authenticity, beauty, and personal expression in the 21st century. The work's cultural specificity, technical excellence, and thematic ambiguity contribute to its growing significance within the landscape of Chinese realist and conceptual painting.