Poor Woman

Inscription: A portrait of a poor woman from Chongqing on Chinese New Year’s Eve in the Dingchou year (1937), Beihong. For my beloved wife, Jingwen, to keep.
Seal: “Descended from the King of the Eastern Sea” (Rectangular seal with incised characters) and “Life springs from sorrow and calamity” (Square seal with relief characters)

In 1937, full-blown war broke out after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. In October, Xu Beihong went to Chongqing to teach at National Central University.
On 30 January 1938, Chinese New Year’s Eve, Xu Beihong went out and saw an old woman carrying a basket as she scavenged. He was deeply moved and made this painting.