Existing comment:
Grandma
Hung Liu credits her maternal grandmother, Wang Jushou (1890–1979), with instilling in her a vision of "hard-won feminism," which she traces back to the brave women of ancient China. These women, Liu notes, are "the type I've always hoped I would become. From Hua Mulan to Qui Jin, these are truly outstanding women, and I admire them all."
Liu was close to her grandmother, who raised her alongside her mother. Reflecting on the process of making this portrait, Liu notes that she emphasized Wang Jushou's strong hands because "all her life, she would make shoes [and] clothes" and do laundry by hand. "All her joints were arthritic and swollen."
The stylized forms on Wang Jushou's blouse connect her to Qianshan Mountain, where her husband -- Liu's grandfather Xia Peng -- lived "in mind and soul."
Oil on shaped canvas and antique architectural panels, 1993 and 2013
Collection of Hung Liu and Jeff Kelle |