Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.
What is this about?
"Moonlight Halo" by Su Xiaobai is a close study of color and painting. The artist in interested in questioning historic Chinese methods of lacquer application.
Often times contemporary artists aren't interested in meaning, but are invested in questioning sensation, and posing objects for contemplation and thought. This work can be understood as a response to China's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s where representational paintings were highly valued.
Is this abstract?
Yes, it is. Su originally painted in a social realist manner, but after experiencing avant-garde Western art, his work became increasingly less figurative.
It can be tricky to notice but if you look at this from a side angle, you'll see the surface of the work is curved.
Inwards, you mean?
Yes, the sides flare out a bit from the center.
While it is not my cup of tea, it is an interesting style...
Color-field painting is not for everyone but sometimes it is nice to appreciate what is outside of our personal preferences! I'm glad you came across it.
Me too!
What was the process Su Xiaobai used to create this artwork?
The artist mixes lacquer with water, oil paint and powdered pigments, and applies many layers of different colors onto linen or wood. Lacquer has to be applied in a humid and controlled environment. If you look at the edges, you can see a variety of colors used. The mixture causes unpredictable marks to appear on the surface, along with minute cracks and pitting. The process recalls ink painting and lacquer production- two techniques steeped in historical and cultural associations of China. The imperfections on the surface indicate the hand of the artist.
Does the artist usually create abstract works?
Yes, the works of Su Xiaobai are generally abstract with no subject matter. He considers each work an object of meditation.
It reminds me of other popular artists like Rothko, but it is somehow a bit more interesting due to the lacquer.
Western color-field painters, like Rothko, are definitely an inspiration for Su Xiaobai!
Another interesting point about that particular work - if you check it our from an angle, you can see the surface is curved. I think that adds a whole new element as well.
This piece reminds me of Rothko, did any influence come from him?
"Moonlight Halo" reminds a lot of people of Rothko! By 2013, Su was certainly aware of Rothko and other western artists, though "Moonlight Halo" is more of a commentary on materials in its meaning. After studying traditional Chinese painting in Beijing from 1985 to 1987 he studied at the Dusseldorf State Arts Academy in Germany. He continued experimenting with abstraction in Germany into the 1990s, before continuing the trend upon his return to China in 2003.
It definitely has the same atmospheric appearance.
Yes, it does. Especially due to the "bleeding" effect of the color around the edges.
I'm a bit flummoxed by this. Looks smooth and tempting to touch but hmmm..the other things are so complex and technically challenging; this seems "too easy" by comparison.
This work by Su is on the more conceptual end, true. Su is interested in color field painting in which a single color can dominate the canvas.
Su created the painting with lacquer. Lacquer is a rather tricky substance to work with and he laid down layer upon layer to achieve the deep blue color. If you look at the edges, you can see where the layers are thinner.
I see, yes. I guess conceptual works make me panic a bit. I assume I ought to have more of a response and then I get "art guilt," but I will try and accept it's just a bit beyond me.
Honestly, sometimes the "intent" behind a work is simply to look at it and think what you will. I'm of the opinion that anything you take away from a work, even something like "I like the color," is a completely valid reading.
Cool!
No need for "art guilt" here!
Who painted this?
This was painted by Su Xiaobai, an artist who currently lives and works in Shanghai and Düsseldorf. He likes to explore color in his work, like the deep blue in this painting. Instead of using paint, he used lacquer to make paintings such as this. You might have noticed how the painting is curved and cracking at the edges. Lacquer is a shiny resin made with ingredients from a tree, that has been used to decorate furniture and other objects in China for over a thousand years!
Ok! It's interesting.
Is Moonlight Halo by Su Xiaobai an example of color field?
Interesting question! Su Xiaobai is working several decades after the "official" school of color field painting, but he does share certain ideas with them. For example, he considers each work an object of meditation or contemplation.
And he is certainly aware of Mark Rothko's work. Rothko is commonly named as one of his influences, and so is the German postwar artist Gerhard Richter.
Here's a quote from Su that I like: "I care about the possibility of painting process having an existence in and of itself. I care about the visual impact created from a painting surface."
Why is this painting important?
That's a big question! Art is definitely subjective and what one person likes or considers groundbreaking isn't necessarily the same across the board.
One of the things that makes this work special is the technique and process that went into its creation.
The artist mixes lacquer with water, oil paint, and powdered pigments and applies many layers of different colors onto linen and wood.
The process recalls ink painting and lacquer production which are two techniques steeped in historical and cultural associations of China. But he has applied them to a distinctly contemporary art form.
What's the backstory and the symbolism here?
In Moonlight Halo, artist Su Xiaobai built up layer after layer of oil lacquer on linen and wood. You may have noticed how the painting curves and cracks at the edges, this is all from the buildup of material.
The work is closely related to color field minimalist paintings and western abstraction, but Su also incorporates and explores a medium with a long history of use in China in furniture and decorative arts.
The focus is on the color and the material, and the artist considers each work a meditation or contemplation.
Thanks!
Who is Su Xiaobai?
Su Xiaobai is a Chinese born contemporary artist who lives and works in Shanghai and Düsseldorf.
He makes abstract work, with subject matter that is for the most part unrecognizable, and often paints monochromes like the one you see before you. This monochromatic painting was made with oil lacquer, linen, and wood. The lacquer is a reference to chinese furniture and decorative arts!
What makes this blue canvas good art?
What is and isn't "good" art is subjective, but I can definitely tell you what makes it interesting. This painting is playing with materials, particularly lacquer, as well as the minimalist tradition of monochrome painting.
The artist, Su Xiaobai, uses lacquer, a material that in China has historically been used to decorate furniture and create design objects, to create the work, referencing the history of art and design in China.
He also considers the work an object of meditation or contemplation.
How does this blue compare with the Yves Klein blue?
Yves Klein blue is much brighter and more saturated. Klein's monochromes were also matte and devoid of cracks, since Klein wanted to create infinite spaces with his monochromes. The shiny lacquer and cracks here both make it clear that this monochrome is an object, not a void.
Both artists want to create fields of contemplation with their monochromatic paintings, but the materials are as different as the hues they use!
What philosophy was this inspired by?
Su Xiaobai engages Western abstraction and the traditional Chinese medium of lacquer in this work. He considers each work an object of meditation or contemplation.
A quote from him reads: "I care about the possibility of painting process having an existence in and of itself. I care about the visual impact created from a painting surface."
His work is guided by a focus on the essential characteristics of color, shape, and surface.
Thanks!
What message did the artist intend to convey?
Su's work is about the meditative and contemplative process he goes through to make it, as well as the blending old and new.
The way that this painting was made is important to understanding it: the fact that it is executed in lacquer rather than paint and that the artist allowed the lacquer to alter the surface.
This particular kind of abstraction, however, is influenced by minimalism and color field painting, two movements of the mid 20th century.
In contrast, lacquer has been used in decorative arts in Asia for about 1000 years.
Thanks!
What kind of traditional Chinese technique did this artist use?
The use of lacquer is the big one. Lacquer has traditionally been used to decorate furniture and decorative art objects in China. In this case, Su mixes the lacquer with oil paint, water, and powdered pigment on linen and wood. Besides the lacquer, his technique also makes reference to ink painting.
Lacquer is a resin derived from the sap of a tree commonly known as the Chinese lacquer tree, the Japanese lacquer tree, or the varnish tree (Toxiodendron vernicifluum, formerly Rhus verniciflua). Pigments are added to this clear resin to make it colorful.
Why just one color?
Su Xiaobai typically only includes a single color in his works because his interest is more in the material itself. In this case, his focus is on the properties of the lacquer, a traditional material in Chinese art, especially decorative arts.
What’s so special about this painting?
What's special about this painting is the artist's materials and his process.
He makes this work with lacquer, a material with a long history of use in East Asian furniture. Painted in layers on a canvas, the lacquer provides a mellow glow that you don’t get with oil or acrylic paint, which Su uses here to convey the effect of a moonlight halo. The artist uses lacquer in all of his paintings, as part of his approach to minimalist abstraction. He wants to make the paintings feel like objects, rather than images.
Hi! I'm just curious what is the Moonlight Halo supposed to mean or represent?
It doesn't necessarily represent anything—as an abstract work it has no recognizable subject matter, which can make it hard to know where to start.
In this case, the artist is concerned with material and colors which is a great angle from which to think about this piece.
He incorporates oil lacquer paint. Lacquer is a shiny resin with a long history of use in East Asian furniture and decorative arts and Su Xiaobai is appropriating it here in a contemporary context.
He considers his works to be objects of meditation of contemplation.
Why is there some indent in the work? One kind of looks like a handprint.
I haven't noticed a handprint before. Are you referring to some of the irregular areas around the edge of the work? You can definitely see the evidence of the layers of paint Su applied and built up.
Yeah! There is a large chunk of it on the viewer's left side.
Interesting! We don't have anything about a handprint in our notes; it might be a lucky coincidence—an area with irregular paint that happens to resemble a palm, perhaps!
Moonlight Halo
Su Xiaobai
Asian Art
Su Xiaobai engages both Western abstraction and the traditional Chinese medium of lacquer in creating this painting, at once luminous and opaque. Su says this painting was inspired by Buddhist philosophy and by Ming and Qing dynasty blue-and-white porcelains.
MEDIUM
Oil Lacquer, linen, and wood
DATES
2013
DIMENSIONS
60 5/8 x 58 11/16 x 5 1/8 in. (154 x 149 x 13 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
2015.92.1
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Pearl Lam
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Su Xiaobai (Chinese, born 1949). Moonlight Halo, 2013. Oil Lacquer, linen, and wood, 60 5/8 x 58 11/16 x 5 1/8 in. (154 x 149 x 13 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Pearl Lam, 2015.92.1. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: , 2015.92.1_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2015.92.1_PS9.jpg., 2019
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
© Su Xiaobai
The Brooklyn Museum holds a non-exclusive license to reproduce images of this work of art from the rights holder named here.
The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act.
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
If you wish to contact the rights holder for this work, please email copyright@brooklynmuseum.org and we will assist if we can.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.
What is this about?
"Moonlight Halo" by Su Xiaobai is a close study of color and painting. The artist in interested in questioning historic Chinese methods of lacquer application.
Often times contemporary artists aren't interested in meaning, but are invested in questioning sensation, and posing objects for contemplation and thought. This work can be understood as a response to China's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s where representational paintings were highly valued.
Is this abstract?
Yes, it is. Su originally painted in a social realist manner, but after experiencing avant-garde Western art, his work became increasingly less figurative.
It can be tricky to notice but if you look at this from a side angle, you'll see the surface of the work is curved.
Inwards, you mean?
Yes, the sides flare out a bit from the center.
While it is not my cup of tea, it is an interesting style...
Color-field painting is not for everyone but sometimes it is nice to appreciate what is outside of our personal preferences! I'm glad you came across it.
Me too!
What was the process Su Xiaobai used to create this artwork?
The artist mixes lacquer with water, oil paint and powdered pigments, and applies many layers of different colors onto linen or wood. Lacquer has to be applied in a humid and controlled environment. If you look at the edges, you can see a variety of colors used. The mixture causes unpredictable marks to appear on the surface, along with minute cracks and pitting. The process recalls ink painting and lacquer production- two techniques steeped in historical and cultural associations of China. The imperfections on the surface indicate the hand of the artist.
Does the artist usually create abstract works?
Yes, the works of Su Xiaobai are generally abstract with no subject matter. He considers each work an object of meditation.
It reminds me of other popular artists like Rothko, but it is somehow a bit more interesting due to the lacquer.
Western color-field painters, like Rothko, are definitely an inspiration for Su Xiaobai!
Another interesting point about that particular work - if you check it our from an angle, you can see the surface is curved. I think that adds a whole new element as well.
This piece reminds me of Rothko, did any influence come from him?
"Moonlight Halo" reminds a lot of people of Rothko! By 2013, Su was certainly aware of Rothko and other western artists, though "Moonlight Halo" is more of a commentary on materials in its meaning. After studying traditional Chinese painting in Beijing from 1985 to 1987 he studied at the Dusseldorf State Arts Academy in Germany. He continued experimenting with abstraction in Germany into the 1990s, before continuing the trend upon his return to China in 2003.
It definitely has the same atmospheric appearance.
Yes, it does. Especially due to the "bleeding" effect of the color around the edges.
I'm a bit flummoxed by this. Looks smooth and tempting to touch but hmmm..the other things are so complex and technically challenging; this seems "too easy" by comparison.
This work by Su is on the more conceptual end, true. Su is interested in color field painting in which a single color can dominate the canvas.
Su created the painting with lacquer. Lacquer is a rather tricky substance to work with and he laid down layer upon layer to achieve the deep blue color. If you look at the edges, you can see where the layers are thinner.
I see, yes. I guess conceptual works make me panic a bit. I assume I ought to have more of a response and then I get "art guilt," but I will try and accept it's just a bit beyond me.
Honestly, sometimes the "intent" behind a work is simply to look at it and think what you will. I'm of the opinion that anything you take away from a work, even something like "I like the color," is a completely valid reading.
Cool!
No need for "art guilt" here!
Who painted this?
This was painted by Su Xiaobai, an artist who currently lives and works in Shanghai and Düsseldorf. He likes to explore color in his work, like the deep blue in this painting. Instead of using paint, he used lacquer to make paintings such as this. You might have noticed how the painting is curved and cracking at the edges. Lacquer is a shiny resin made with ingredients from a tree, that has been used to decorate furniture and other objects in China for over a thousand years!
Ok! It's interesting.
Is Moonlight Halo by Su Xiaobai an example of color field?
Interesting question! Su Xiaobai is working several decades after the "official" school of color field painting, but he does share certain ideas with them. For example, he considers each work an object of meditation or contemplation.
And he is certainly aware of Mark Rothko's work. Rothko is commonly named as one of his influences, and so is the German postwar artist Gerhard Richter.
Here's a quote from Su that I like: "I care about the possibility of painting process having an existence in and of itself. I care about the visual impact created from a painting surface."
Why is this painting important?
That's a big question! Art is definitely subjective and what one person likes or considers groundbreaking isn't necessarily the same across the board.
One of the things that makes this work special is the technique and process that went into its creation.
The artist mixes lacquer with water, oil paint, and powdered pigments and applies many layers of different colors onto linen and wood.
The process recalls ink painting and lacquer production which are two techniques steeped in historical and cultural associations of China. But he has applied them to a distinctly contemporary art form.
What's the backstory and the symbolism here?
In Moonlight Halo, artist Su Xiaobai built up layer after layer of oil lacquer on linen and wood. You may have noticed how the painting curves and cracks at the edges, this is all from the buildup of material.
The work is closely related to color field minimalist paintings and western abstraction, but Su also incorporates and explores a medium with a long history of use in China in furniture and decorative arts.
The focus is on the color and the material, and the artist considers each work a meditation or contemplation.
Thanks!
Who is Su Xiaobai?
Su Xiaobai is a Chinese born contemporary artist who lives and works in Shanghai and Düsseldorf.
He makes abstract work, with subject matter that is for the most part unrecognizable, and often paints monochromes like the one you see before you. This monochromatic painting was made with oil lacquer, linen, and wood. The lacquer is a reference to chinese furniture and decorative arts!
What makes this blue canvas good art?
What is and isn't "good" art is subjective, but I can definitely tell you what makes it interesting. This painting is playing with materials, particularly lacquer, as well as the minimalist tradition of monochrome painting.
The artist, Su Xiaobai, uses lacquer, a material that in China has historically been used to decorate furniture and create design objects, to create the work, referencing the history of art and design in China.
He also considers the work an object of meditation or contemplation.
How does this blue compare with the Yves Klein blue?
Yves Klein blue is much brighter and more saturated. Klein's monochromes were also matte and devoid of cracks, since Klein wanted to create infinite spaces with his monochromes. The shiny lacquer and cracks here both make it clear that this monochrome is an object, not a void.
Both artists want to create fields of contemplation with their monochromatic paintings, but the materials are as different as the hues they use!
What philosophy was this inspired by?
Su Xiaobai engages Western abstraction and the traditional Chinese medium of lacquer in this work. He considers each work an object of meditation or contemplation.
A quote from him reads: "I care about the possibility of painting process having an existence in and of itself. I care about the visual impact created from a painting surface."
His work is guided by a focus on the essential characteristics of color, shape, and surface.
Thanks!
What message did the artist intend to convey?
Su's work is about the meditative and contemplative process he goes through to make it, as well as the blending old and new.
The way that this painting was made is important to understanding it: the fact that it is executed in lacquer rather than paint and that the artist allowed the lacquer to alter the surface.
This particular kind of abstraction, however, is influenced by minimalism and color field painting, two movements of the mid 20th century.
In contrast, lacquer has been used in decorative arts in Asia for about 1000 years.
Thanks!
What kind of traditional Chinese technique did this artist use?
The use of lacquer is the big one. Lacquer has traditionally been used to decorate furniture and decorative art objects in China. In this case, Su mixes the lacquer with oil paint, water, and powdered pigment on linen and wood. Besides the lacquer, his technique also makes reference to ink painting.
Lacquer is a resin derived from the sap of a tree commonly known as the Chinese lacquer tree, the Japanese lacquer tree, or the varnish tree (Toxiodendron vernicifluum, formerly Rhus verniciflua). Pigments are added to this clear resin to make it colorful.
Why just one color?
Su Xiaobai typically only includes a single color in his works because his interest is more in the material itself. In this case, his focus is on the properties of the lacquer, a traditional material in Chinese art, especially decorative arts.
What’s so special about this painting?
What's special about this painting is the artist's materials and his process.
He makes this work with lacquer, a material with a long history of use in East Asian furniture. Painted in layers on a canvas, the lacquer provides a mellow glow that you don’t get with oil or acrylic paint, which Su uses here to convey the effect of a moonlight halo. The artist uses lacquer in all of his paintings, as part of his approach to minimalist abstraction. He wants to make the paintings feel like objects, rather than images.
Hi! I'm just curious what is the Moonlight Halo supposed to mean or represent?
It doesn't necessarily represent anything—as an abstract work it has no recognizable subject matter, which can make it hard to know where to start.
In this case, the artist is concerned with material and colors which is a great angle from which to think about this piece.
He incorporates oil lacquer paint. Lacquer is a shiny resin with a long history of use in East Asian furniture and decorative arts and Su Xiaobai is appropriating it here in a contemporary context.
He considers his works to be objects of meditation of contemplation.
Why is there some indent in the work? One kind of looks like a handprint.
I haven't noticed a handprint before. Are you referring to some of the irregular areas around the edge of the work? You can definitely see the evidence of the layers of paint Su applied and built up.
Yeah! There is a large chunk of it on the viewer's left side.
Interesting! We don't have anything about a handprint in our notes; it might be a lucky coincidence—an area with irregular paint that happens to resemble a palm, perhaps!
