Luo Fahui is part of the generation of artists who studied fine arts shortly after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). His oil paintings, which are characterized by surreal, pearly gray composition punctuated by bright splashes of crimson and turquoise, address themes of desire, isolation and violence.

In his painting My Garden, a woman and boyish figure stand in an ambiguous gray space. Red and blue hues interject Luo’s monotone palette, which are most strongly concentrated in the boy’s blue trousers and the woman’s red dress. This short, red dress is the central focus of the composition, and its textural quality establishes it as the singular realistic object in an otherwise surreal setting. However, upon examination, it becomes clear that it is not so much the woman who wears the dress as the dress who wears the woman, becoming the painting’s protagonist. Paired with glistening, knee-high leather boots, this dress has a provocative affect, which challenges its viewers and leaves them acutely aware of their gaze.

The two-dimensionality and emptiness of the setting voids it of time of place, and therein bringing into question the titular “garden.” The only markers of a location are the twisted branches that reach down on either side of the female figure, the faint barbed wire that extends across the painting, and the faint, rose floating in the lower left corner.

The figures’ arms are raised in mirroring poses that echo the branches themselves. While the woman grasps a tree branch on her left and confidently brandishes lipstick in her right hand, the boy stands dejected, wraps his left hand in barbed wire, and bleeds from his right palm.

A word from The Artist

Painting is the only channel by which I can to express my ideas, spirit, emotions and desires. It is my own space to distill my hopes. It is here that I experience of freedom of thought, life’s perfection, simplicity of language and inner emptiness. Painting helps me to feel the joy and lightness, enabling me to continue living out my existence.

Using images to unearth the feelings that are closest to me is enough. I could spend a lifetime exploring and expanding my deepest self. I am fortunate that this motivation never tires. My main goals are exercising self-control and sharpening my sensitivity, for these can always be drawn upon throughout one’s life. I have experienced life’s strangeness and joy, turned these emotions into images, and used reason to understand the vitality and energy behind human nature.