Artwork Description

Title: Body
Artist: Guo Wei
Date: 2004
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 15.7 x 11.8 in (40 x 30 cm)

Artwork Identification:
In this 2004 painting Title:d Body, Guo Wei portrays a young female figure in a vulnerable, intimate stance. Wearing only underwear and a partially slipped top, the subject cradles her torso in a subtle gesture of unease or introspection. The figure is outlined with broad, flattened brushstrokes against a solid blue backdrop, and the artist’s signature appears in the lower right.

Artistic Style and Influences:
This work exemplifies Guo Wei’s pared-down, emotionally charged figuration. The reductive style—featuring soft modeling, minimal facial features, and simplified anatomy—places psychological expression above physical accuracy. This aesthetic, evocative of postmodern figuration, is part of a broader trend in contemporary Chinese art that emphasizes internal states over representational precision.

Historical Context:
Executed in 2004, this painting emerges from a period of intensifying cultural introspection in China. The figure’s ambiguous posture, between self-comfort and discomfort, echoes the alienation and emotional fragility Guo Wei often associates with urban youth in a rapidly transforming society. This was a time when artists like Guo were responding to the accelerated pace of modernization with intimate depictions of its psychological toll.

Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation:
The artwork is in very good condition. The canvas is taut and free of structural flaws. No paint loss, surface abrasion, or discoloration is visible.

Artistic Significance:
Body (2004) is a quietly powerful example of Guo Wei’s signature approach: a subdued palette, gestural composition, and figures that evoke more emotion through posture and silence than overt expression. The subtle unease embodied in this piece captures a universal sense of fragility, resonating with themes of youth, gender, and societal pressure. It reflects Guo’s distinctive ability to channel personal and collective disquiet through deceptively simple forms.