| Chinese opera is a rich source of inspiration for Chinese painters, including Ding Yanyong. But rather than illustrating characters and scenes in painterly narratives, Ding was able to give them artistic significance through uncommon portrayals. Take this "Chinese Opera Figures (Xiang Yu)" for example, the defeated King of Chu - depicted in the traditional operatic persona with a painted face as mask and exaggerated facial expressions - is holding his sword in defiance of his fate. Standing next to him are Lady Yu, his favourite, and a naked warrior. |
