The theme of this year's painting clearly states one - the makeup of desire. People's various desires are wrapped under various makeups. Desires are the intertwining of happiness and pain in life. Either straightforward or subtle, they will appear in makeup, forming a profound look of an era.
Inches: 23.6 x 23.6 in
Size without the frame: 60 x 60 cm
Country: China
Date: 2024
Materials: Acrylic paint on Wood Panel
Condition: well preserved
Creative themes and style | My works revolve around the creative concept of "The land of humanity, People on the land".The people in the painting are people in nature, and the lines, shapes, and colors are close to nature. The nature in the painting is nature in the eyes of humans, existing in interaction with humans.I don’t pursue a series of works with a fixed and continuous style. I hope that the style of the pictures will synchronize with the changes in my life and always remain oscillating. The performance of the work must be in sync with the development of one's own life in order to be Sincere and powerful.Ideas are later.
If you would like to collect this artwork or know more about the artist, please contact us.
designer painting,high end painting,rare paintings for sale,luxurious art,luxury paintings,expensive canvas art.
1. Overall Atmosphere and Sense of Space
This acrylic painting creates a spiritual space that feels both oppressive yet hopeful, achieved through the tension between color and line. The lower half of the canvas is dominated by deep blues and purplish blacks, where interwoven, branch-like structures form a tangled web. These sharp, constraining forms resemble the shackles of reality, symbolizing oppression and inner turmoil. By contrast, the upper half expands into a luminous space of yellow-greens and warm hues, spreading outward like a halo of light. This stark contrast offers a vision of a “spiritual outlet” beyond darkness.
2. Symbolic Meaning of Color
The heavy, shadowed tones of the lower section imply the burdens of reality and inner anxiety. In contrast, the bright, radiant colors above not only heighten visual tension but also symbolize hope and transcendence of the spirit. The collision of cool and warm tones creates a vivid dialogue between reality and idealism, oppression and liberation.
3. Imagery and Narrative
Within the halo of light, a human figure and a fox emerge with a sense of lightness and agility. Their presence carries both mythological undertones and psychological symbolism:
The human figure represents the soul or spiritual essence, maintaining an upward posture even in the midst of struggle.
The fox embodies agility and wisdom, but also conveys a sense of companionship and guardianship.
Together, they form the metaphor of “spiritual partners”, reflecting the human desire for connection and resonance while enduring hardship.
4. Lines and Movement
In the lower half, the dense, sharp, branch-like lines generate visual tension and confinement. By contrast, the postures of the human and the fox above appear fluid and buoyant, carrying a sense of motion and freedom. This opposition between rigid linearity and flowing curves visually manifests the dynamic tension between bondage and liberation.
5. Surreal Composition and Thematic Elevation
The overall structure of the painting resembles a binary division: the lower section embodies the quagmire of reality, while the upper section represents the ascent of the soul. Through a surrealist approach, the artist condenses the struggle and breakthrough of the inner self into visual poetry. The parallel presence of the human and the fox suggests companions in a spiritual journey, moving together toward the light. In this way, the work provokes reflection on themes of spiritual awakening, breaking free from constraints, and seeking freedom.
1. Zao Wou-Ki – “Untitled” Series
Using abstract lines and flowing colors, Zao Wou-Ki creates dreamlike spaces.
Similarity: Both employ abstraction to evoke poetic and fantastical atmospheres, blending Eastern philosophy with Western abstraction to construct a spiritual realm suspended between reality and illusion.
2. Lin Fengmian – “The Firebird”
By merging transformed figures with bold color, Lin Fengmian builds a mysterious realm.
Similarity: Through deformation and interwoven color, the work transcends realism and harnesses emotional tension, allowing the imagery to embody symbolic spiritual power.
3. Salvador Dalí – “The Persistence of Memory”
With absurd composition and surreal symbols, Dalí portrays dreamlike visions.
Similarity: Like the present work, it employs symbolic imagery to represent inner illusions, breaking the logic of reality to construct a landscape rich in metaphor and subconscious meaning.
4. Odilon Redon – “The Cyclops”
Using hazy colors and mysterious lines, Redon sketches out a fantastical scene.
Similarity: Through ambiguous tonalities and mystical atmospheres, the work hovers between reality and dream, eliciting emotional resonance from the subconscious.
I once heard a story from the villagers: behind the village, a narrow path winds through the woods. Deep inside, there lies a pond, irregular in shape, as if carved out by a fallen mountainside. The trees around it grow thick, their tangled branches arching low over the path, like a natural gate that has long hidden the sky. When the wind moves through, the leaves brush against one another, whispering in a delicate murmur.
Ashan often walked this path. One late autumn evening, as he passed the pond, he suddenly stopped. The clouds split open beneath the fading sun, and light streamed through the branches, dyeing the sky in strange colors. In that glow appeared two hazy figures: a small crimson figure bent in dance, and beside it, the shadow of a fox-like creature trailing close behind. The pond mirrored it all, as though another world were surfacing beneath the water.
At the top of the composition, a figure in an orange-red cloak and a fox seem to drift within a yellow-green halo of light, like spirits emerging across the night sky. This surreal imagery gives the painting a dreamlike and spiritual quality.
The lower section features black, branch-like strokes intertwined like bare trees or the skeleton of a mountain, creating a desolate, wintry mood. This stark contrast with the warm glow in the sky highlights the painting’s interplay of cold and warmth. Such tension makes it an ideal choice as an abstract nature-inspired wall art for study rooms, bringing a contemplative atmosphere into the space.
The dominant deep blue and violet tones evoke calm and tranquility, while the luminous sky and ethereal figures suggest a “spiritual gateway.” When displayed in a bedroom or meditation room, this piece helps to create an intimate, serene environment—making it one of the best options for a healing oil painting for bedroom décor.
The yellow-green gradient adds a dreamlike depth, making the figure and fox appear like time-traveling souls. Rather than just warmth, this choice introduces an air of mystery and the supernatural, amplifying the uniqueness and rarity of the piece.
The yellow glow at the base resembles the last glimmer of sunset on the horizon, or perhaps the “portal to another world.” It mirrors the halo in the sky, forming an energetic cycle between the upper and lower parts of the composition. This duality suggests hope, continuation, and the eternal rhythm of existence.
A: Click here to view ARTPHILOSO's Guide for Collectors.
More paintings from this series：
The makeup of desire 1 The makeup of desire 2 The makeup of desire 3 The makeup of desire 5
The makeup of desire 6 The makeup of desire 7 The makeup of desire 9
The makeup of desire 11 The makeup of desire 12 The makeup of desire 13 The makeup of desire 14
The makeup of desire 15 The makeup of desire 16 The makeup of desire 17
