Artwork Description
Hung Liu – Apsaras Black
Dimensions: 72 x 72″
Year: 2009
Medium: oil on canvas
Hung Liu felt really touched by the photograph she based this painting on. The portrait of the young girl holding up the mask to her face is from the Great Sichuan earthquake or Wenchuan earthquake, which occurred on May 12, 2008—Over 69,000 people lost their lives in the quake, including 68,636 in Sichuan province. In the original photo, there is a man rescuing the young girl while holding her over his shoulder. Hung Liu felt really connected to the young girl and felt deeply saddened by the event. Liu predominately bases all her portraits on found and historical photographs, but this is the only portrait from this event she depicted.
An apsaras or apsara is a type of female spirit/ angel of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture, which Hung Liu predominately studied in Beijing, China.