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Lot Essay
In the early 1980's, China's liberation from the suppression of the Chinese government during the Cultural Revolution saw the end of a monolithic artistic model. Wang Yidong, an artist born in Shandong, was among the key figures heading the creative wave that thematized a passion for rural life. Under the invitation of Robert A. Hefner III, Wang visiting America together with Ai Xuan and Wang Huaiqing in 1987, making him among the first batch of visiting Chinese artists in the USA. His 1987 work Tobacco Curing House (Lot 125) was once exhibited in Hefner Galleries. Like Wang Huaiqing's early work Buttered Lamp (Lot 124), it has been part of a US east coast private collection for more than 20 years.
Wang's brief stay in America left a deep impact on his creative process, and he would continue to study western classical realism after his departure. He made the conscious decision to set traditional ethnic culture (that of Yimeng Mountains, for example) as his artistic theme and emotional refuge. In Tobacco Curing House, Wang utilized fine, delicate strokes to express his deep sentiments for the area. The white bricks and black tiles of the cottage, the leaning bales of dried tobacco and the yellow sprigs hanging on the lines combine to create a fresh and vivid composition while the girl in red gazing at the goats is set into the background. An aura of eternity, tranquility and peace resonates as time stands still in this painting.
Wang deliberately exaggerated the proportion of the house, subtly deviating from the overall realistic approach adopted in this work. This slight visual exaggeration, together with the sketchy green mountains and bleak blue sky creates a deep emotional touch and also reveals the artist's heartfelt desire for and reverence towards nature.
As Wang once mentioned, "The most easily remembered becomes the most easily forgotten. Who else remembers the fragrance of the soil?" Escaping the soil of Tobacco Curing House is a rustic aroma, evoking the sentiments of lost time, deep memories, and endless nostalgia for the homeland.
Wang's brief stay in America left a deep impact on his creative process, and he would continue to study western classical realism after his departure. He made the conscious decision to set traditional ethnic culture (that of Yimeng Mountains, for example) as his artistic theme and emotional refuge. In Tobacco Curing House, Wang utilized fine, delicate strokes to express his deep sentiments for the area. The white bricks and black tiles of the cottage, the leaning bales of dried tobacco and the yellow sprigs hanging on the lines combine to create a fresh and vivid composition while the girl in red gazing at the goats is set into the background. An aura of eternity, tranquility and peace resonates as time stands still in this painting.
Wang deliberately exaggerated the proportion of the house, subtly deviating from the overall realistic approach adopted in this work. This slight visual exaggeration, together with the sketchy green mountains and bleak blue sky creates a deep emotional touch and also reveals the artist's heartfelt desire for and reverence towards nature.
As Wang once mentioned, "The most easily remembered becomes the most easily forgotten. Who else remembers the fragrance of the soil?" Escaping the soil of Tobacco Curing House is a rustic aroma, evoking the sentiments of lost time, deep memories, and endless nostalgia for the homeland.