Artwork Description

Title: Bathtub
Artist: Yang Fan
Date: n.d.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66.9 × 59.1 in (170 × 150 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
This large-scale oil painting Title:d Bathtub by Chinese contemporary artist Yang Fan presents a hyper-stylized image of a young woman lounging in a luminous pink tub against a richly patterned crimson backdrop. The figure’s delicate, doll-like features and the meticulous rendering of skin tones, water textures, and textiles lend the work a polished, almost surreal quality. Measuring nearly 1.7 meters in length, the piece commands visual attention and exudes an aesthetic of both innocence and irony.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Yang Fan’s work aligns with the Chinese Neo-Pop movement, which emerged in the wake of China’s economic and cultural opening in the late 20th century. His paintings synthesize pop iconography with traditional portraiture, echoing the work of Western artists such as Takashi Murakami or Yoshitomo Nara, while remaining rooted in uniquely Chinese notions of beauty and contemporary identity. Bathtub is a clear articulation of consumer-age fantasy, filtered through the lens of digital-age sensuality.

3. Historical Context
Emerging in the 1990s and 2000s, Yang Fan’s generation of Chinese artists responded to shifting social norms, global consumerism, and the widespread influence of media culture. Bathtub reflects this tension between personal intimacy and public image, commenting on beauty standards, leisure culture, and the visual language of advertising. Its poised, almost commercial rendering of a private moment raises questions about self-image and objectification in the digital age.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The canvas shows no signs of structural damage, and the painted surface remains vibrant and stable. There is no observed craquelure, discoloration, or prior restoration. The pigment layer maintains a clean, well-preserved finish throughout.

6. Artistic Significance
Bathtub encapsulates Yang Fan’s distinctive aesthetic and conceptual themes. By blending realism with flat, graphic elements, the artist critiques and celebrates contemporary visual culture. The work stands as a compelling commentary on modern femininity, media influence, and the constructed nature of desire. Its visual allure and conceptual depth make it a noteworthy addition to collections of Chinese contemporary art and global pop-inflected portraiture.