Artwork Description

Title: Gorgeous as a Flower
Artist: Yufei Ning (宁雨霏)
Date: 2015
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 60 x 60 cm (23.6 x 23.6 in)

1. Artwork Identification
Gorgeous as a Flower is a vibrant and energetically rendered oil painting by Yufei Ning. Executed in square format, the work centers a vivid bouquet of crimson and magenta blooms caught in a swirling, almost storm-like sea of green and blue brushstrokes. Painted in 2015, the composition is alive with directional movement and dynamic contrast, exemplifying the artist’s signature floral motif through a uniquely expressionistic lens.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Ning’s practice traverses the boundaries between abstraction and expressionistic figuration. This work draws clear connections to the post-Impressionist and Fauvist traditions, where color and brushstroke take precedence over strict form. The gestural quality of the marks, layered in sweeping arcs and angular slashes, evokes both lyrical abstraction and traditional Chinese calligraphy, placing Ning’s practice in conversation with East-West aesthetic dialogues.

3. Historical Context
Created during the mid-2010s—a period marked by growing interest in contemporary Chinese painting’s re-engagement with classical subjects—this work aligns with Ning’s broader investigation of the symbolic and visual potential of botanical imagery. In a post-industrial China negotiating urbanization and ecological memory, such works may be read as meditative odes to nature’s vitality and transience.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The surface presents no visible signs of damage, with the canvas taut and the paint layer stable. The edges remain clean with no observable abrasion, and there is no evidence of retouching or conservation intervention.

6. Artistic Significance
Gorgeous as a Flower exemplifies Yufei Ning’s ability to channel natural beauty through a deeply expressive and tactile painting style. The composition pulsates with chromatic energy and visual rhythm, offering viewers both an aesthetic and emotional encounter. As part of Ning’s continued exploration of floral subjects, this work adds a bold and atmospheric dimension to her oeuvre—equally suited for collectors of contemporary Chinese abstraction and lovers of lyrical modernist landscapes.