Provenance
Private Collection, Asia

Liu Liu is being classified as a maverick that works in the grey area between magical realism and Pop Art. His painting techniques are exquisite and compelling, and his artworks often have a story to tell. Together with the use of dramatic and metaphoric approaches, the themes of his works are in-depth and thought provoking. Liu is good at drawing with realism techniques, he uses the features of classical oil painting to create works with a flavor of modernity.

After Liu moved to Canada in 1991, he began to create more works with western woman as the subject matter. Bride is a unique work in the artist's early years. The woman in the artwork appears repeatedly in Liu's works playing different roles, and it can be said that she is seen nearly everywhere. Sometimes she blends into the group portraitures, for example, being the frivolous nude in Public vs. Republic; sometimes she is the central character of the portrait paintings, appearing in different image styling and shapes. It seems that she has a high place in the artist's mind, and she is his source of inspiration. By using rich imagination and masterful composition, the bride is shaped as a unique character, leaving a deep impression on the viewers.

As commented by Mr. Chen danqing, Liu's works are filled with highly dramatic expression and enigmatic situations. In the portrait, the bride dressed in a charming ensemble, her eyes are out of focus and not gazing directly at the viewers. Her arms are in the air with all the fingers spreading wide, these exaggerated body figure and numb expression seemed inexplicable. The artist uses sprightly brushstrokes to capture the posture of the bride at that particular instant in time, and subsequently frozen the scene. In a split second, the entire world seems to be stopped. The originality in his use of lightning contributes to the dramatic effect in the scene. With a deep and dark backdrop, the artist uses strong side light to emphasize the bride's facial features and her dimensional body texture. He also uses finely detailed strokes to show the folds, touch and texture of the clothes, which makes the bride stands out from the background. It is unquestionable that his realism techniques excel. The swaying shadow behind the bride adds a touch of mystery and suspense to the painting, heightening the dramatic tension.

The identity of most of the girls in Liu's works remains unknown. The background, time and venue of the painting are not mentioned, as if the artist deliberately detaches the characters from the real world, creating a feeling in-between reality and illusion. Where and when is the bride located? It seems that she freezes under the flash in the blink of an eye, producing a dramatic effect which intrigues the viewers. To sum up, the artists uses exquisite skills, dramatic techniques and ingenious composition to point up the image of the bride and develop the intertexture between the reality and the surreal world.