Girl Who Loves to Laugh
Xinlin Jiang
Artwork Details
Artwork Description
Title: Girl Who Loves to Laugh
Artist: Xinlin Jiang
Date: 2012
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 44.3 × 21.7 in (112.5 × 55 cm)
1. Artwork Identification
In Girl Who Loves to Laugh, Xinlin Jiang captures a tender and spontaneous moment of childhood joy. This vertical-format oil painting (112.5 × 55 cm / 44.3 × 21.7 in) presents a young girl beaming behind a vibrant red and yellow fabric she playfully holds up to her face. Her bright eyes and impish smile shine through, conveying both innocence and personality. The earthy background and rural village architecture ground the portrait in a specific cultural setting.
2. Artistic Style and Influences
Rendered in Jiang’s distinctive realist technique, the painting echoes the expressive brushwork of post-socialist realism and modern Chinese portraiture. The artist skillfully balances detailed figuration with painterly spontaneity, allowing fabric folds, flushed cheeks, and light to vibrate with life. His influences may be traced to both Chinese academic traditions and Western Impressionist color handling, seen in the lively treatment of texture and tone.
3. Historical Context
Created in 2012, the work reflects Jiang’s ongoing commitment to portraying rural Chinese life during a time of swift modernization and urban migration. The young girl, depicted with affection and authenticity, represents the enduring spirit of childhood amidst shifting socioeconomic landscapes. This series of works acts as both homage and documentation—an artist's diary of a vanishing rural world.
4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.
5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with no signs of canvas damage, fading, or paint loss. The surface shows a healthy retention of original color saturation and texture. It is professionally stretched and preserved, and requires no conservation intervention at this time.
6. Artistic Significance
Girl Who Loves to Laugh is a poignant and joyful testament to Jiang’s ability to distill complex emotional narratives into a single figure. The work transcends documentary painting through its sensitive humanism and technical refinement, making it a standout piece for collectors interested in contemporary Chinese realism and cultural portraiture.