Art
#painting #plants #portraits #Xiao Wang
“Portrait, October” (2022), oil on canvas, 41 x 54 inches. All images © Xiao Wang, shared with permission
Ginkgo leaves intertwined with purple, sprigs of blue eucalyptus, and ferns glowing bright orange veil Xiao Wang’s portraits with a subtle unreality. As if illuminated by fluorescent light, the oil paintings depict calm, introspective, and intimate moments between the artist and the subjects, who rest among lush vegetation.
In a note to Colossal, Wang shares that he continually strives for both contrast and balance. He maintains a relationship with each person he paints, be it friends, his partner or himself, and their real connections emerge through the unearthly palettes. “I want to create an eerie feel by distorting natural colors and creating sharp contrast,” he shares. “That’s why there are so many dark tones against light tones, purple and red against green and blue.”
The use of vivid colors also energizes the works and adds to the underlying unease and anxiety of the otherwise languid subjects, which seem suspended in daydreams and transient states. “I think I try to walk between realism and expressionism, which means that my work is deeply based on naturalistic observations and often maximalist technique, but also enhanced by expressive colors and surreal settings,” he says. .
Wang, who was born in China and is currently based in New York, has a solo show scheduled for July at PM/AM in London, and you can find more of her work and studio previews on Instagram.
“Hangover” (2021), oil on canvas, 44 x 40 inches
“Spaced in, Space out #2” (2023), oil on canvas, 40 x 32 inches
“Monkey Mind” (2022), oil on canvas, 58 x 44 inches
“The passing hours” (2022), oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches
“The sound of cicadas” (2022), oil on canvas, 60 x 80 inches
“Slumber-Dusk” (2020), oil on canvas, 44 x 58 inches
#painting #plants #portraits #Xiao Wang
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