Artwork Description

Title: Dali
Artist: Xie Yongsheng (解永生)
Date: n.d.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 100 x 80 cm (39.4 x 31.5 in)

1. Artwork Identification
In this imaginative oil painting Title:d Dali, Xie Yongsheng reimagines the iconic visage of Salvador Dalí through the lens of his signature surreal pop aesthetic. The composition features a whimsical caricature with an enlarged head, hypnotic eyes, and the unmistakable upturned moustache, all rendered with a high-gloss finish and a bold blue backdrop.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Xie Yongsheng’s work draws upon visual strategies found in both surrealism and kawaii-infused contemporary Chinese pop surrealism. Here, the influence of Salvador Dalí is evident not only in the subject but in the playful distortion of facial proportions and psychological intensity. The wide, doll-like eyes and stylized lips create a balance between innocence and satire, while the hyper-smooth gradient background isolates the figure in a dreamlike void. His method of exaggeration and flattening is reminiscent of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, though uniquely grounded in Chinese visual language.

3. Historical Context
The work is part of a broader contemporary Chinese art trend that reinterprets Western cultural icons with a local twist, often using humor and distortion to blur the lines between reverence and critique. Xie’s Dali fits into this lineage by treating Dalí not only as a historical figure but as a pop object—flattened, abstracted, and mythologized for a new generation of global viewers.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The canvas is taut, the surface is clean, and there are no signs of cracking, flaking, or discoloration. It is suitable for direct display without the need for conservation intervention.

6. Artistic Significance
Dali exemplifies Xie Yongsheng’s capacity to reinterpret classical and modern personas through a surrealist-pop lens that is both humorous and eerily captivating. It reveals the artist’s technical control and his thematic interest in cross-cultural dialogue. As an homage with a twist, this painting invites both collectors and viewers to reconsider the legacy of artistic icons in an age of visual parody and global reinterpretation.