Karl Bang's paintings are unique because he combines totally different styles of painting within the same format. It is very difficult to design a balanced composition with realistic elements that are juxtaposed with flat colors and patterns. The faces of his subjects are painted realistically in the Western tradition with subtle gradations of color; while, his figures and costumes vignette into abstracted shapes, lines, flat colors and patterns that reflect Karl's background in China. It is as though there are different visual languages being spoken within his paintings.

A dog rides a wave while competing during the 5th Annual Surf Dog competition at Huntington Beach, California, on September 29, 2013. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP Photo)

Tourists watch the Christmas Day sunrise behind Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Friday, December 25, 2015. (Photo by J. David Ake/AP Photo)

A man drinks at a "colored" water cooler in a streetcar terminal in Oklahoma City, July 1939. (Photo by Reuters/Library of Congress)

People enjoy the color run in Guangzhou, Guangdong province of China on May 29, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

An Indian woman smeared in colors dances during Holi festival in Mumbai, India, Monday, March 29, 2021. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)

Tourists visit an art installation of colorful umbrellas on November 10, 2022 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)