Wrapped in Misery (8 pieces)

Born in Beijing in 1967, Liu Yuanshou is one of China’s most respected and prominent contemporary painters. Painting with oil on canvas, Liu creates powerful scenes featuring women wrapped in bright red silk. They seem to be distraught, desperately struggling to escape their own misery.

Silkworm culture and the the production of silk textiles has always been an important part of Jiangsu's (north of Shanghai) history. Because of this, silk is especially evident in Liu's art, which primarily focuses on portraits of young women from the Jiangsu region. The artist is known for dressing his sultry subjects in Shanghai period or modern-day regional attire, as well as for integrating well-researched architectural elements and interiors from Jiangsu's urban and rural areas.

"Red was the color of China in the 70s and it represented more than just a color—it’s a complicated conception," says Liu. "It’s also closely related to women in many ways.

"During my exhibitions overseas, the audience conceived my works as related to sex or restraint. I think they’re all of those things as my intention was kind of complex and ambiguous. The subject is neat, but the concept is flexible, and the combination provides a lot of potentials and possibilities for creation."

Liu Yuanshou
interview via [hk]

Tags: China, Chinese, Liu Yuanshou, Wrapped in Misery, art, oil

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of My Modern Metropolis to add comments!

Join My Modern Metropolis

Comment by Nicky Gale on November 4, 2010 at 10:42am: I think these paintings are stunning a real artist with excellent vision

Comment by Amy Wong on November 3, 2010 at 6:05pm: Whoa...these are super complex!

Comment by Wendy Siegelman on November 3, 2010 at 3:05pm: These are amazing paintings. I especially like the first ones that are loose and abstract in the background, which makes the figures pop forward. And I love the use of red (along with white, black, and fleshtones), there's a combination of elegance and drama that's completely mesmerizing.

Comment by Annie on November 3, 2010 at 11:40am: wow these totally grab your attention...

Comment by gilberto Lopéz on November 3, 2010 at 9:05am: beautiful...

Comment by Glenn Dunster on November 3, 2010 at 5:17am: Very, very... original. What a hopelessly bland comment, but I'm really bewitched by these. I confess that when I saw the featured image on the home page I thought it was a photograph. Stunning. And other adjectives I'm presently fumbling for. I want one. Or two.