LI KERAN (1907-1989)

The imagery of this painting is not a realistic rendering of a specific place and time, but an interpretation of a source material, one that underwent tailoring, exaggeration, and reorganization, created by an emotional and idealized state of mind. The verdant mountains fully manifest Li's rich and smooth brushstrokes. In this sumptuous atmosphere, the painting is veiled by a layer of thin mist, with light, fresh wind blowing after rain. Clouds and mists linger lively and weightlessly, forming a white strip to the left of the painting, thus accentuated by the dark-toned landscape imagery. The figures which Li observed from real life were carefully choreographed to give energy to the composition. Although a work of imagination, this painting presents a real landscape that easily immerses viewers into its environs.