Li Jin, Portrait of Mother and Child 母子圆卷, c. 2006
Chinese ink wash and colour on Xuan Paper
40.5 x 45 cm (visible), 54 x 58 x 2 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good
Acquired directly from the artist.
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The artwork depicts a naked woman, the mother, who is likely from a wealthy background given her necklace, jade bangle, and robust figure, and a lone child tightly bundled in clothes and a thick blanket. Given the nudity of the mother, the weather is likely warm, but the child is ironically bundled with thick winter wear and blankets and appears uncomfortable. The child seems to be metaphorically smothered by her love and care. The child’s expression is not one of comfort or joy, compared to the blissful pride of the mother.
The work captures the common Chinese cultural predicament of parents projecting their thoughts and emotions on the child without fully exploring the truth, and suffocating them with such high hopes and expectations.
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Li Jin 李津 (Chinese, b.1958) is a contemporary ink painter known for his vibrant and often humorous depictions of everyday life and sensory pleasures. Born in Tianjin, he graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 1983, where he later served as an Associate Professor. His colourful works frequently feature food, figures, and scenes of intimacy, drawing from his personal experiences and observations of contemporary Chinese life.
Li’s practice has evolved through distinct phases, including a formative period spent in Tibet, where his encounters with Tibetan culture and Buddhist ideas influenced his reflections on selfhood and corporeal existence. From the 1990s, he developed a distinctive approach often associated with New Literati painting, combining expressive brushwork with candid depictions of daily life. In his later practice, he turned increasingly towards monochrome ink painting, using a freer daxieyi style to explore spontaneity, tonality, and the expressive possibilities of ink. His works are held in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Ashmolean Museum.
(Photographed in March 2026)