Artwork Description

Title: Time
Artist: Shaoli Chen
Date: n.d.
Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 27.6 x 27.6 in (70 x 70 cm)

Artwork Identification
Time by Shaoli Chen is a contemplative watercolor and ink painting featuring two youthful figures and a dog, standing amid abstracted pine trees. The composition radiates a quiet introspection—conveyed through the slightly distant expressions of the figures and the subdued natural palette framing them.

Artistic Style and Influences
Executed in Chen’s refined blend of traditional brushwork and contemporary stylization, the work combines expressive line, soft washes, and intricate textures. The fashionably dressed figures—one in a turtleneck dress and flats, the other in a striped shirt, jeans, and a green jacket—embody a present-day aesthetic, contrasted against a timeless natural setting. The dog, rendered with charming fidelity, adds emotional grounding and narrative depth.

Historical Context
Shaoli Chen, a professor and leading figure in modern Chinese ink painting, often explores the emotional nuance of youth and identity. Time speaks to a sense of stillness, perhaps nostalgia, within the swift motion of modern life—reflecting the artist's recurring theme of balancing cultural memory with the experience of change.

Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with clean surfaces, well-preserved pigment, and no visible creases or stains.

Artistic Significance
With Time, Shaoli Chen offers a quiet meditation on presence and personal connection. The subtle narrative between the two figures, the placement of the dog, and the bare tree branches evoke a poetic space of pause—making this piece an evocative and meaningful addition to any collection of modern ink painting.