This stunning portrait by Chinese Contemporary rising star Zhang Xiangming belongs to his highly sought-after series of photo-realist oil paintings, that each depict a beautiful, young Chinese woman from the artist's own 1970's and 80's generation. This painting on a circular canvas is important, as it is one of the only works released from Zhang's Studio in 2012, just completed this May, after several months of painstaking detailing and perfecting of the work. This painting is unframed, in excellent condition and comes with a formal certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the Artist.

This mirror-like portrait of a young Chinese woman is a super-cropped, up-close view that celebrates and exaggerates her beauty, and acts as a metaphor for the collective desire of today's young Chinese women to both remain loyal to the history and tradition of China, but to also be part of the Modern global community of their generation. Despite the initial innocence that this painting possesses, this woman's luminous, large eyes and slightly parted mouth exude a spirit of curiosity and intelligence. She gazes outwards with confidence, as if unaware of her sensuality and power of seduction. This direct gaze is enhanced by her perfect perfectly made-up face that is framed by a traditional pin-curl , wavy hairstyle. She is painted against an ethereal blue background, as if she is gazing at her own reflection in a looking pool, underscored by the round shape of the canvas, often employed by Zhang.

Zhang Xiangming was born in Guangrao, Shandong, China in 1975. He graduated from the Shandong Normal University Art Department in 2003 and received his Master's Degree in oil painting at the Artistic Research Institute of China in 2007. The artist is exhibited world-wide with galleries in China, Europe, The U.K and the U.S. Zhang is one of the hottest new Chinese artists to come to the international scene in the last two years, setting exciting auction records in the past 12 months far above pre-sale estimates, selling for three to four times over estimates, to upwards of $43,000.00 USD premium. The artist lives and works in Beijing, China.