In the 1940s, Li Hu received the orthodox academic training in the Art Department of National Central University. In an era with “Chinese learning as the fundamental structure, Western learning for practical use” as the guideline, Li was influenced by Xu Beihong’s reconstruction of traditional Chinese paintings and started to pursue a new way in art creation, of which A Girl in Cotton Wadded Robe was a valuable attempt of combining traditional Chinese paintings with Western techniques.

The girl in the painting, with a white scarf around her head and flushed cheeks exposed to the cold air, stares into the distance blankly, as if she is waiting for something. The wrapping cotton wadded robe in dark color seems to be too small in size for the growing girl. The basket carried on her arm and the windowsill behind provide the only information of the setting, leaving a large blank in the background to further highlight the image of the girl. As for the use of brush and ink, Li Hu followed Xu Beihong’s technique to depict figures with lines. He captured the texture of the girl’s clothes and the shape of her body in different shades of colors and with dry or wet brushes. The light and shadow of the cloth folds cast on the girl’s face and scarf are rendered in ink with dryer or wetter blocks to outline the garment pleats.

(Edited by Li Hanning & Yang Zhige, 2021)