Lot 240: WANG YIDONG

WANG YIDONG B. 1955 BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE - AWAITING SPRING signed in Chinese and English and dated 2009-10 (lower left) Oil on canvas 100 by 100 cm.; 39 3/8 by 39 3/8 in.

Wang Yidong is one of the representative artists within the Chinese painting circle and is the leading figure of the realism school. He always uses themes and topics from the mountainous countryside of Shandong, as seen in his Meng Mountain in the Rain from the 1980's to Rough Horseplay at the Wedding in the 1990s, to this work, Beautiful Village – Awaiting Spring. He has his own vision of the countryside life and admires its purity and spirit. He loves the farms and hills, and especially the folksy colours. This chosen direction and cultural interest not only helps him maintain a consistent creative attitude but also blends an innate affection into his paintings.

Radiantly beautiful colours and graceful simplicity blend harmoniously in Wang Yidong's works. This is the staple of Wang Yidong's paintings, with the high contrast of black, red, and white to create a strong visual effect. One can also easily see beyond the surface and how its color effect provide a full, rich level spatial composition so that viewers can see very fine details from up close, and can see the depth from afar.

Ultimately, an artist has to rely on their works to not only prove themselves by demonstrating their professional skills, but also they must demonstrate their perseverance and perfectionist attitude. Wang emphasizes his fundamental skills as well as the real work within his paintings. He admired Levitan and persistence of the Russian Painting School – with their dedication to artistic expression, skills, and colours to attain such a prestigious place in art history. What Wang and the Chinese realism school achieved is only possible through nothing more than their profound love and pursuit of art.