High-Color Figure
Lv Jiang
Artwork Details
Artwork Description
Title: High-Color Figure
Artist: Lv Jiang
Date: n.d.
Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 13.0 × 9.4 in (33 × 24 cm) & 10.6 × 9.4 in (27 × 24 cm)
1. Artwork Identification
This vibrant diptych by contemporary Chinese artist Lv Jiang features two stylized female figures set amidst fantastical botanical environments. Rendered in ink and watercolor on paper, the works present elongated nude and semi-nude forms in bold, saturated hues, integrated into dense, dreamlike foliage. The first composition shows a figure with flowers in her hair reaching into a lush green canopy, while the second places a blue-skinned figure amid glowing orange vegetation, gesturing toward a paper boat. Both works are punctuated with delicate linework, symbolic flora, and floating lights, revealing Lv’s masterful use of color and surreal composition.
2. Artistic Style and Influences
Lv Jiang’s distinctive aesthetic draws from the lineage of Chinese literati painting while engaging with modern expressive figuration and pop surrealism. His style blends traditional brushwork with cartoonish distortion, vibrant chromatics, and fantastical narrative elements. The flattened pictorial space and emphasis on linear rhythm evoke modernist tendencies reminiscent of Fauvism and Expressionism, while the subject matter reflects a fusion of Eastern mysticism and contemporary visual storytelling.
3. Historical Context
Emerging in the post-1980s wave of Chinese contemporary art, Lv Jiang’s practice reflects the growing fluidity between classical training and contemporary innovation in Chinese visual culture. Educated in Jiangsu and Suzhou, Lv belongs to a generation of artists navigating post-reform China’s cultural hybridity, where personal identity, traditional motifs, and global aesthetics intersect. These pieces reflect a cultural moment characterized by both reverence for heritage and a playful reimagining of tradition.
4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.
5. Condition and Conservation
Both works are in very good condition. The paper is clean and stable, with no signs of foxing, tears, or discoloration. Pigments are vivid and intact. Minor handling marks are consistent with careful studio storage. Conservation is not currently required.
6. Artistic Significance
Lv Jiang is recognized for his bold and whimsical reinterpretations of the human form and natural world, distinguishing himself within the landscape of 21st-century Chinese art. His works appeal to collectors interested in the crossover between narrative figuration and symbolic surrealism. With institutional teaching positions and active affiliations with both artists’ and writers’ associations, Lv’s influence extends beyond the studio to the cultivation of contemporary cultural discourse in China. These visually striking works represent a confident and imaginative voice in the evolution of Chinese ink painting.