Known by some as a “contemporary history painter,” Liu Xiaodong’s work comments on societal shifts. In lockdown in New York City since mid February—away from his native China—Liu has documented the somber city in a series of watercolors. Lost souls run up the middle of empty avenues. Playthings are abandoned in ghostlike parks. Black Lives Matter protests are punctuated with blue masks. These scenes represent the fabric of a new life in a new city during a strange time. Liu’s written diary accompanies this online exhibition. —E.C.