Hung Llu, Chinese Profile II

  I discovered Hung Liu (1948 -) thanks to a book given to me by a dear relative, and I find this oil painting particularly interesting.  She was born in China and now lives in California, where she is professor emerita of painting at Mills College, Oakland.
  Chinese Profile II is her title, and the first thing I note is the painting's size.  It is 80" x 80".  This is huge, almost 7 feet by 7 feet!  Think of how impressive is the visual impact.
  Art critics view Liu's work as dealing with memory, as she begins with a photograph to convey her message.
  Three things stand out to me in this painting.  First is something I have experienced myself - the concept that by the use of color and shape an artist molds a face almost like building up a 3D sculpture from clay.  Look closely and see how the face and hairline is an overlay of shapes, many triangles. 
 Second, the background is alive with colors and movement taken from the figure.  To the lower right, balancing out the face is a portion of an object, maybe a chair. 
    Third and most important, is the veil of streaks running down almost half of the work, yet leaving the face clear and focused. It is like a screen separating her from us, she is not quite with us.  Her serious expression furthers our knowledge that we are not part of her experience, her thoughts are miles away from our existence.  ( This streaking is reminiscent of another woman artist, Helen Frankenthaler, and American abstract expressionist for the 1950s,)
   Chinese Profile II was done in 1998, it is an oil on canvas and is now part of the permanent collection of the San Jose Museum of Art, in California.
  Make Art a part of your day, it's a beautiful thing to do.

Comments

  1. Char HarguthJuly 15, 2020 at 10:02 AM

    What an interesting and unusual painting. I watched a video of her working and am amazed at the size and how she proceeds with the composition. For the streaking she presses the large brush against the canvas and let's gravity control how it runs. I imagine her style is influenced by the Chinese constraints on art and her freedom of expression here, with some symbolism to unify. What a unique talent in both bold strokes or detail. She even incorporates the streaking in her woven art work. Amazing and beautiful. CH

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