Biography
Biography:
Li Ning (b.1994) graduated from Royal College of Art with an MA in painting.
Li is the recipient of the Still Life Award at Jackson’s Painting Prize 2023. His works have been featured in exhibitions such as the RCA Painting Degree Show, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the New English Art Club and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibitions at Mall Galleries. They have also appeared in Jackson’s Painting Prize at Bankside Gallery and the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize online exhibition. Additionally, his works have been published in notable media publication such as Aesthetica magazine, and featured in the essay ‘The Art of Li Ning’ by Jonathan Miles (Tutor and Supervisor of PhD, Royal College of Art. Writer.)
Li's works embody a fusion of psychological imagination and the intimacy of everyday subjects. Profoundly influenced by old masters such as Titian and Rembrandt, Li discovered the boundless potential within figurative painting. By engaging with the timeless brilliance of these masters, he seeks to forge a unique artistic language that reinterprets classical traditions within a contemporary context.
Artist Statement:
A painter’s relationship with his painting is familiar to that of an admirer with his lover. If I may take the liberty of adapting Russell's remark slightly : “The muse of art is a cool lover. Only by enthusiastic hands holding the sword of calm, one could possibly touch her heart.”