Artwork Description

Title: Dry Up
Artist: Wendan Wang
Date: 2016
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 27.6 x 23.6 in (70 x 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Dry Up is a dense and atmospheric abstract painting executed in acrylic by Wendan Wang in 2016. Characterized by intricate surface textures and a layered palette of teal, turquoise, umber, and subtle hints of violet and crimson, the composition evokes the tangled, decaying underbrush of a parched natural environment. The visual field is animated with swirling marks, scratches, and overlapping strokes, creating a sense of both chaos and organic dissolution.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Wang’s technique blends abstract expressionist energy with tactile materiality. Employing gestural brushwork and impasto surfaces, Dry Up resonates with the influence of artists such as Cy Twombly and Zao Wou-Ki, where form dissolves into an all-over field of emotional intensity. The dense network of linear forms suggests both natural growth and entropic unraveling—an interplay between creation and decay that is central to the artist’s conceptual vocabulary.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2016, Dry Up reflects a continued engagement in contemporary Chinese abstraction with themes of environment, memory, and transformation. As ecological concerns increasingly inform artistic practice, Wang’s piece can be read as a meditation on environmental degradation and the fragility of natural systems. The Title: itself—Dry Up—speaks to both literal and metaphorical loss, rendered through a richly expressive visual language.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The acrylic layers remain vibrant and stable with no evidence of flaking, loss, or restoration. The canvas is taut and well-preserved, and the textured surface maintains its original complexity and color depth. Ready for display.

6. Artistic Significance
Dry Up represents a compelling example of Wendan Wang’s exploration of abstraction as both a formal and emotional terrain. Through its layered construction and densely woven marks, the painting invites viewers into a visceral experience of erosion and renewal. It is a powerful and poetic reflection on nature’s vulnerability, marking it as a significant acquisition for collectors of contemporary abstraction and environmentally engaged art.