Bird Bath, from the series Strange Fruit

A child crouches, extending an empty bowl to beg. A woman sits next to the child, but her face disappears beyond the picture frame. Red paint, like blood, trickles over them. More haunting is a figure lying next to them on its side—seemingly sick, in pain, or dying. Oddly, this figure is surrounded by flowers, and a large bowl appears to float above, with a flock of birds using it as a bird bath. Some fly up into a purple sky.

Bird Bath is based on a historical photograph taken during the Japanese occupation of China from 1937 to 1945, a period when many people experienced famine and starvation. The artist has said that the splitting of the canvas into two parts creates a feeling of instability, emphasizing fracture and turmoil. The image of the bird bath was borrowed from an ancient Chinese mural that depicts a serene and peaceful paradise, and the white flowers are linked to the use of the color white for funerals in China—they can symbolize both offering and mourning.