An essay by Franklin Einspruch (Artblog.net) on the paintings of artist Ying Li. Einspruch curated No Middle Way, a retropective of Li's work, on view at Haverford College, PA, from September 7 – October 12, 2012.

Einspruch writes that Li is "a natural artist and so has dug into Yuan Dynasty painting (as well as Baroque painting, Impressionism, on and on) with the determination of someone looking for solutions to a desperate problem. Desperate problems are the hallmark of a real artist’s existence. They’re not desperate in that lives are at stake; they are desperate in that they are filled with despair. The way forward is never clear and one’s powers never up to the task. To overcome this you need spirit, which Ying has in abundance."