Artwork Description

Title: Deep in the Flower Five
Artist: Lv Jiang
Date: 2021
Medium: Ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 8.3 x 23.6 in (21 x 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Deep in the Flower Five is the fifth entry in Lv Jiang’s visually provocative and conceptually layered series of fan-shaped paintings. Executed in 2021, this work presents a reclining female figure with sea-blue hair and pale lime-green skin, resting in a dreamlike pose against a backdrop of rhythmic green foliage. Her corseted lingerie, striped stockings, and flushed eyelids heighten the painting’s sense of theatrical intimacy and stylized eroticism.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
In this piece, Lv Jiang continues his fusion of traditional Chinese fan formats with contemporary figuration and color exploration. The work blends gongbi-inspired contour drawing with manga-influenced expressiveness and a pop-art palette. The saturated greens and swirling composition evoke both natural abundance and emotional complexity, while the sleeping pose and curvilinear flow recall Western Symbolist painting and Japanese ukiyo-e prints.

3. Historical Context
Lv Jiang, born in 1975 in Nanjing and formally trained at Nanjing Art College and Suzhou University, stands at the forefront of contemporary Chinese ink experimentation. His Deep in the Flower series challenges the conventions of huaniao hua (flower-and-bird painting) by replacing symbolic flora with the human body as a vessel for emotional and cultural narratives. Created in a moment of reengagement with tradition through a postmodern lens, the work asserts a new visual language rooted in personal identity and artistic reinvention.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The fan-shaped paper is clean, stable, and free from creases or restoration. The watercolors remain brilliant and sharply defined, preserving the tactile and chromatic richness of the original surface.

6. Artistic Significance
Deep in the Flower Five concludes Lv Jiang’s series with a contemplative and visually seductive composition. It reasserts the artist’s ability to integrate classical Chinese form with global figurative trends and personal expression. Whether collected individually or as part of the full suite, this work offers a potent and genre-defying reflection on beauty, desire, and the evolving language of Chinese ink painting.