Hung Liu is one of the most famous painters of the 20th century who expresses Chinese and American cultures. She was born in Changchun, China, in 1948 and moved to the United States by the end of the 20th century (Nigris 192). Liu is known to often portray courtesans, entertaining workers, prisoners, and refugees in her works. Her three paintings “Three Fujins,” “Relic 12,” and “Virgin/Vessel” are great examples of conveying the societal and gender issues of her time. They show a moment in history when women were strongly discriminated against and were seen as inferior to men.
Liu was a witness of Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China and learned to draw using the strict realistic style with defined edged lines. After she arrived in the United States, she began utilizing softer and freer figures in her paintings (Nigris 192). “Virgin/Vessel” illustrates the scene of a woman being forced into a sexual relationship by binding her foot. Likewise, “Three Fujins” portrays three concubines holding the birdcages almost as they are held captive. In this painting, Hung Liu focuses on playing with contrasts of controlled and softer lines. The stricter edges symbolize the power and dominance of men. These lines suggest restrictions for women, and uncontrolled edges mean freedom and liberty. Thus, the artist integrates contrasting lines to outline the difference between the societal roles of men and women.
“Relic 12” depicts a Chinese courtesan surrounded by different traditional symbolics. The washings and fall drips indicate the raindrops or tears representing the woman’s suffering. The characters are written in the red square mean ‘woman’ and ‘goddess’s creation,’ signifying females’ importance. Therefore, all three paintings express feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Visually, there is an impression of the drawings crying because of drip lines. It can be concluded that the overall theme of Liu’s works is the problem of women’s subjugation in historical China. She skillfully addresses this sociological issue by picturing women in early China and using lines and drips.
Work Cited
Nigris, Ornella De. “Traditional Imagery of Women as Seen through Female Visual Art: Hung Liu.” International Communication of Chinese Culture, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 191–206.