Artwork Description

Title: Sorrow
Artist: Xinlin Jiang
Date: 2010
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 169.5 x 109.5 cm (66.7 x 43.1 in)

1. Artwork Identification
Sorrow is a large-scale vertical oil painting by Xinlin Jiang depicting a young girl leaning against the trunk of a leafless tree in a tranquil winter landscape. Her vivid mustard-yellow coat stands out against the soft pastel sky and pale snow-dusted ground, imbuing the composition with warmth and quiet resilience. The child's subtle, introspective expression and delicate posture evoke both innocence and a reflective maturity.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
The painting exemplifies Jiang’s signature realist style, shaped by the influence of Chinese genre painting and Western academic portraiture. His approach combines meticulous attention to light, texture, and gesture with an emotional softness that draws viewers into the inner worlds of his subjects. The stylized treatment of the bare tree and faded foliage lends an almost poetic mood, reminiscent of Chinese lyrical realism.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2010, Sorrow emerges from a broader body of work in which Xinlin Jiang documents rural Chinese life with empathy and grace. The Title: may symbolically reference fragility or modesty, paralleling the child’s vulnerable presence within a quiet, transitional season. This piece captures a moment of stillness, serving as both portrait and metaphor for perseverance amid the passage of time.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
There is a noticeable dent in the upper left corner of the canvas, accompanied by visible stretcher marks radiating from the point of impact. However, the structural integrity of both the canvas and paint layer remains uncompromised. Apart from this minor distortion, the painting is in very good overall condition with no evidence of flaking, discoloration, or prior restoration.

6. Artistic Significance
Sorrow stands out within Jiang’s oeuvre for its lyrical composition and emotive restraint. The delicate balance between color, texture, and symbolism allows the painting to transcend its subject matter and become a meditation on memory, solitude, and endurance. Its scale and poetic resonance make it a compelling acquisition for collectors of Chinese contemporary realism and portraiture.