Artwork Description

Title:Languid

Artist
He Sen

Date
2008

Medium:
Print on canvas (edition no. 24/50)

Dimensions
55.1 x 70.5 in (140 x 179 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Languid is a striking 2008 work by Chinese artist He Sen, presented here as a limited edition print on canvas (number 24 of 50). Measuring 140 x 179 cm, the composition features a photorealistic depiction of a young woman in lingerie, posed in a manner that exudes both vulnerability and allure. She reclines against a table where a bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky is placed, her hand holding a cigarette, with cool grey tones dominating the scene, accented by vibrant red lips and subtle touches of warmth in the flesh tones. The work is unstretched, with minor folding marks from storage, otherwise in very good condition.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
He Sen’s aesthetic resides at the intersection of hyperrealism and psychological portraiture. Drawing on the visual language of commercial photography and film stills, his technique is both seductive and clinical, reflecting the tension between surface and substance. The cool detachment of the image, rendered in soft, blurred detail, echoes the emotional isolation of his subjects. This painting also continues a long tradition of using the female figure as a cipher for societal transformation, vulnerability, and introspection, yet modernized through the lens of contemporary Chinese youth culture.

3. Historical Context
He Sen came of age during China’s dramatic social and political upheavals, beginning his studies at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1989—the year of the Tiananmen Square protests. His work is deeply rooted in the rapid urbanization and globalisation of post-Mao China. During the 1990s and early 2000s, a new generation of Chinese artists emerged who grappled with the friction between tradition and Western consumerist influences. Languid serves as a poignant reflection of this transitional period, capturing a moment of existential stillness amidst cultural acceleration.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The print is in very good condition overall. It is not mounted or stretched, and there are visible fold marks from prior storage, which do not compromise the integrity of the image. The surface is clean with no evident fading or discoloration. Conservation treatment is not necessary at present but stretching and framing are recommended for optimal presentation.

6. Artistic Significance
Languid epitomizes He Sen’s exploration of beauty, detachment, and psychological fragility in the postmodern Chinese context. Through a cinematic lens and hyperrealist execution, he challenges traditional ideals of femininity while critiquing the disquieting effects of Westernized aspirations on China’s younger generation. His works have been shown internationally, including at the Red Gate Gallery (Beijing), Tilton Gallery (New York), and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (Japan). As a figure of significance in China’s new wave of contemporary art, He Sen's work bridges introspective realism with a global visual culture in flux.