Ying Li: Drawings

Exhibition Dates: October 27, 2008 - November 21, 2008

Reception: Saturday, November 1, 5 - 7 PM

The Painting Center is pleased to present a show of portrait drawings by Ying Li. Selected from many charcoal drawings produced by Ms. Li over the past four years, these fifteen works depict friends, students, and other people whose features have intrigued the artist. Through the process of rubbing, erasing, and redefining, Ms. Li turns the broad, dark markings of charcoal and eraser into images at once tender and urgent. These drawings reflect not only her compassion for her subjects but also her determination to connect with their deeper nature.

The artist states: For me, drawing works the way meditation does. It shuts out the world, concentrates the mind, and brings brain and hand together with the least possible interference. It is a daily necessity, just as practice is necessary for dancers, musicians and athletes, and notes on observed events and dialogue are necessary for writers. It keeps me on my toes and able to see things more sharply. It keeps me focused in my work and therefore my life. Drawing is not a final answer, but a more direct path toward the unattainable truth.

Ying Li was born in Beijing, China and immigrated to the United States in 1983. She is an Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. She works and lives in New York and Haverford, is represented by Lohin Geduld Gallery in New York City.