About the Piece

One of ChristianÕs ex-wives, Ru Wang, dominated his paintings for many years. In his oeuvre one sees her nude, pregnant, dressed and posed in European clothing, as the wife of Bacchus and as Diana the Huntress. It is not uncommon for master artists of the past to treat their wife in this way. I would assert however that, unlike many of them, one can see Christian is a great lover of all his wives. Christian shows a palpable warmth toward his wife in ÔRu Wang at the WindowÕ (1993). We can see the handling is gentle and kind, showing a familiarity with the sitter that could only be achieved through love and intimacy. There is confidence implicit in her beauty, and hence admiration from Christian, enhanced through colour by the flowers to the top-right and the strong patterned red of her blouse. ChristianÕs love feels reflected in the glint in her eyes, the window seeming like a balcony onto Christian himself.