Li is best known for his lush and colorful ink depictions of voluptuous people engaged in banal or intimate activities like eating a feast, bathing, or engaging in sexual intimacy. In his banquet scenes and anecdotal vignettes, the highly personal images explore human relationships and daily cultural customs, where men and women appear awkwardly out of place or emotionally distant.
Summertime Pursuits (2004) and Fish Dish (2004) belong to a series of paintings based on the pleasure of preparing food and eating meals with family and friends. In these works, Li has adroitly combined the beauty of table settings, prepared dishes, and mealtime togetherness, celebrating modest traditional values over popular interest in consumer culture and the rapid urban growth of contemporary China.
2004
INK WASH ON XUAN PAPER MOUNTED ON SCROLL
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES, THE EAST WEST BANK COLLECTION, PURCHASED AND PROMISED GIFT OF EAST WEST BANK, PHOTO BY BRIAN FORREST.
53 x 26 3/4 IN
PASADENA COMMERCIAL BANKING CENTER, CALIFORNIA
