Apr 3

Sihua Liu

Sihua Liu is a contemporary portrait painter who has exhibited extensively in the United States and China. He has also exhibited internationally in major cities such as London, Budapest, Antwerp, Vancouver, and Prague. Sihua has won first place and best in show prizes at Gallery Ring, Artist Portfolio Magazine issue 51, and the World Art Awards. With participation in over 40 exhibitions to date, his achievements have brought him to the recognition of notable art critic Anthony Fawcet who published an art review.

The paintings are crisp expressions in painterly photo realism. Brush strokes remain lush in damar varnish giving the paintings a celestial glow. These compositions focus on feminine beauty surrounding women in foliage and floral patterned backgrounds. The females tend to wear contemporary formal outfits or dresses with dark hair and eyes either making eye contact with the viewer or staring off into the distance, as if observing scenery. With an astonishing eye for detail, the realistic approach captures every wrinkle on the eyelids and even pores on the skin. There tends to be a portrayal of pastel tones or deep crimson in the backgrounds which seep into the skin of his subjects. The women often interact with their environments or with objects as if conveying a message about contemplation while gently caressing or embracing the subject at hand.

Crystal Ball and Flower (top of article) remains Sihua’s star painting. The woman stands just very slightly off center grasping a crystal ball towards the viewer reflecting the floral background and covering the left portion of her face. A flower grows on her right cheek acting as a counter balance for the crystal. Sihua portrays the woman as traditional with a pearl necklace, bangs in her hair, a pink ribbon tied to the top of her head, and a decorative pink dress. Crystal Ball and Flower displays like a theatrical scene with dramatic lighting and props rather than a portrait, as if capturing performance art with photo realistic painting. We may observe the blur of the background as a clever portrayal of visional depth of field. Delicate shadows abound her face and hands with light accentuating the curves on her face and fingers. What a delightful, rich painting which breathes regality into his subject through carefully orchestrated compositional focus and subtle psychological interaction with the viewer.

The Flowers of Isolation (second from top of article) portrays a woman with mouth slightly opened as if anticipating a reaction, her eyes deeply focused on a subject off the canvas, most likely a person. Her attire reflects almost like a 1960’s space suit from science fiction novels or perhaps a contemporary white outfit and a piece of glass surrounding her head. The latter seems like a more accurate interpretation because Sihua doesn’t tend to dwell on fantasy. Flowers are everywhere in the composition, all over her hair and throughout the wallpaper-like background. He portrays a harsh light with high contrast but treats the shadows delicately so as to not overwhelm the subject’s face.

These grand compositions provide an epic insight into feminine beauty reflected without exaggeration and with ease of effort. Sihua paints with such confidence as if he breathes life upon the surface of the canvas. With refinement, youth, a knack for detail, and an impressive resume, Sihua will travel far with his technically intimidating artworks.