Artwork Description

Title: Body Skit #2
Artist: Shaoli Chen
Date: 2016
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.3 in (30 x 24 cm)

Artwork Identification:
This delicate composition features a seated nude woman posed against a vivid blue tapestry-like background adorned with stylized floral and ceremonial vessel motifs. The subject, poised with elegance on a draped platform, is accompanied by a shallow dish of golden fruit in the foreground, balancing sensuality with visual harmony in an intimate format.

Artistic Style and Influences:
Body Skit #2 reflects Shaoli Chen’s characteristic blend of classical Chinese ornamentation and Western figurative oil painting. The flattened, decorative backdrop—reminiscent of Qing and Ming textile patterns—contrasts with the volume and realism of the female figure, drawing attention to the aesthetic interplay between tradition and modernity. Chen’s palette here is restrained but luminous, allowing the composition to glow with understated refinement.

Historical Context:
Shaoli Chen, born in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province in 1950, is a distinguished professor and master tutor at Nanjing University of the Arts. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in oil painting in 1976 and a master’s degree in Arts in 1989. A member of the China Artists Association and the executive director of the Jiangsu Oil Painting Society, Chen is a key figure in the evolution of Chinese contemporary figurative painting. His work represents a quiet but potent dialogue between China’s visual history and the individual expression of the modern painter.

Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation:
The work is in very good original condition. The oil surface is clean, with no signs of damage.

Artistic Significance:
Body Skit #2 exemplifies Shaoli Chen’s nuanced study of beauty, form, and symbolism within a restrained domestic setting. Though modest in scale, the work holds an elegant compositional balance that highlights Chen’s painterly precision and cultural sensitivity. It is a compelling acquisition for collectors seeking small-format intimacy with enduring visual sophistication.