Artwork Description

Title: Unidentified Liquid
Artist: Liu Yujun
Date: 2015
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 47.2 x 59 in (120 x 150 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Unidentified Liquid (2015) presents a surreal and haunting tableau in which hyper-realistic faces, suspended in emotional ambiguity, are enveloped in flowing blue liquid. Central to the composition is a spectral feline figure with glowing, pupil-less eyes, nestled among disembodied heads that shift between serenity and unease. Liu Yujun’s meticulous brushwork and airbrushed gradations render the subjects with eerie clarity, crafting an image at once emotionally seductive and psychologically disquieting.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Liu Yujun’s aesthetic straddles surrealism and photorealism, marked by a hyper-controlled surface and dreamlike ambiguity. The liquidity and sculptural quality of the figures suggest an affinity with the stylized figuration of Zhang Xiaogang or the psychological interiors of Chen Yifei, while the surreal melting motif nods to Dalí-esque distortion. Liu’s nuanced grayscale palette, punctuated by electric blues and vivid pinks, heightens the emotional tension in the work, aligning visual precision with poetic introspection.

3. Historical Context
Emerging from China’s post-1980s contemporary art scene, Liu Yujun reflects a generation of artists navigating the transition from socialist realism to individual expression. Liu Yujun’s works have appeared in significant exhibitions, including his debut at Taglialatella Galleries (New York, 2008), and group showcases such as Power and Grace – Horse (Soemo Fine Arts, 2021) and Art Beijing. By 2015, his oeuvre had matured into a unique fusion of introspective figuration and conceptual allegory. Unidentified Liquid channels concerns about identity, artificiality, and the blurred boundaries of self in the digital era—timely reflections in an age of cosmetic perfection and existential uncertainty.

4. Provenance
Provenance: provenance documentation can be provided upon contact

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The canvas is structurally intact with no signs of damage, surface cracking, or pigment instability. The paint surface remains clean, vibrant, and unmarred.

6. Artistic Significance
With Unidentified Liquid, Liu Yujun probes the psychological fissures beneath immaculate surfaces. His subjects—neither fully animate nor wholly inert—exist in an emotive limbo, inviting viewers to confront their own perceptions of authenticity, identity, and inner life. As a key example of Liu’s mature style, the work exemplifies his signature interplay of realism and illusion, and underscores his place within the vanguard of psychologically attuned contemporary Chinese painters.