Chapter 4: Two Works of Art by Hung Liu

   I love Van Gogh! However, my favorite new (to me at least) artist was Hung Liu. Two of her oil paintings are presented in the "Works in Progress" section of chapter 4. Their common theme is the suppression of women in both pre- and post Communist China. In her "Virgin/Vessel", you see an upper-class Chinese woman hobbled by the traditional practice of "foot-binding". This results in so-called "golden lotus", "lily pad", or "swan feet". "Swan feet" make women very dependent on others. (Particularly, male family members.) These "swan feet" were considered beautiful in traditional Chinese culture. (According to some sources, they had a sexual purpose as well.) This is hinted at by the erotic scene, pictured on the snuff bottle, that is shown on her garment. Our text informs us that this procedure crippled such women. "Unable to walk, even upper-class women were forced into prostitution after Mao's Revolution confiscated their material possessions and left them without servants to transport them. In the painting, the woman's body has become a sexual vessel..." as the painting's title and the picture on her garment reveal.  This artist's choice, to color the picture on her clothing but to show the hopeless expression on the woman's face in black and white is a great use of "contrast". In the "Three Fujins", Liu mentions that: "Contrast is very important. If you don't have contrast, everything just cancels each other thing out. In this oil painting, she contrasts carefully controlled lines with uncontrolled lines "liberated" by using linseed oil. The effect produced by these liberated lines creates a haunting sadness in the painting- as I view it. It's as if the painting "weeps". Which is a very appropriate tone considering the theme of this painting involves subjugating women. Our text reveals that, the "Fujins were concubines in the royal court at the end of the 19th century." Like the snuff bottle in the previous painting, the birdcages are symbolic of these three ladies "submission to the rule of tyrranical social forces." Ultimately, Hung Liu seamlessly weaves together both Chinese and Western traditions to create two amazing works of art.