Inner Mondgolian-born Xue Mo’s portraits of Asian women are more than representations of female beauty. Her premise is that the composition of these paintings acts as a focal point for meditation on such concepts as virtue, beauty, serenity, benevolence, and tranquility.
Variously described as “Renaissance”, “Chinese Vermeer” or “Medici- like portraiture”, Xue Mo’s paintings evoke a timeless elegance and a return to pure painting. Critic Katherine Wilkinson has written, “In the 20th Century, many Asian artists have sited, in the human figure, the portrayal and exploration of their own and their society’s identity and history and its changing relationship with other nations and a global culture…Xue considers her work deeply affected by old Chinese culture, its traditional music, calligraphy and early portraiture.”
After graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, Xue Mo lectured in Fine Art in Beijing for many years before beginning her career as a full-time professional artist.
She has exhibited in Beijing, Singapore, Hong Kong, the US and Australia. Diane Farris Gallery provided her first exposure in Canada in 2004. In the spring of 2011 Xue Mo moved with her husband from Beijing to Vancouver Island.
