Li Jin

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About the artwork

雨中断一帆拖 春树斜阳里 星架坡 Translation: A single sail trails, broken, through the rain, Spring trees glow in the slanting sunlight, While stars lean gently along the sky. Signature: 李津画 - Painted by Li Jin 穿花衣的男子 (Man in a Floral Shirt), this whimsical yet unsettling portrait blends humour, fantasy, and quiet introspection. The bearded man, dressed in a brightly patterned floral shirt, appears grounded and calm, while surreal elements erupt above and around him - striped plant forms sprouting from his head, a floating fairy-like figure, and a curious fish. These playful motifs suggest imagination, memory, and desire coexisting with everyday identity. Rendered in expressive ink and soft colour washes, the work balances levity with psychological depth. Through irony and symbolism, Li Jin reinterprets the traditional portrait as an exploration of inner worlds concealed beneath outward appearances.

About the artist

Li Jin (b. 1958, Tianjin, China) is one of China’s most beloved contemporary ink painters, celebrated for transforming everyday moment into colourful, whimsical narratives. A member of the New Literati movement, Li draws on the classical literati tradition and reinvigorates it with vivid humour and modern flair. His expressive brushwork and candid subject matter—full of food, sensuality, and playful self-portraits—redefine the boundaries of traditional ink painting.

Educated at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (BA, 1983), where he later served as Associate Professor, Li Jin has exhibited globally in China, the U.S., Australia, Germany, and beyond. His works are in prestigious collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Seattle Art Museum, National Art Museum of China, Hong Kong Museum of Art, and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Indeed, even at their most extravagant, Li Jin's pleasures scenes are tinged with the melancholy of solitude and the unreality of a dream or a memory.