Portrait of a Lady 1940

Ding Yanyong made this ‘Portrait of a Lady’ with oil paint, and looking at it I am immediately struck by the way the colours feel both vivid and a bit muted, like a memory. There’s something so direct about the application of paint here. It’s pretty physical, you can see how the paint has been put down in these buttery, separate strokes. Notice how the colours in her face have been built up with strokes of yellow, white and grey. Yanyong is very interested in the surface and texture of the paint itself. The floor in particular is a feast for the eyes. It reminds me of Bonnard, who was also fascinated by domestic spaces and the play of light. Ultimately, this painting feels like a meditation on seeing, on how we piece together the world through colour and brushstrokes, embracing the ambiguity that comes with it.