Lot Essay
Xue Liang’s surreal, phantasmagorical landscapes are created using a familiar visual vocabulary: the flowing rivers, trees and mountains that populate the traditional Chinese landscape paintings. These archetypal forms are nevertheless abstracted and purified - reconstructed - to build a landscape of the mind. Inspired by his extensive study of traditional Chinese landscape paintings from Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties as well as his travels, Xue employs traditional technique and material but depicts landscape with potent emotions. His landscapes do not always conform to perceived norms but they correspond to the aesthetic of the contemporary eye and invite viewers to reestablish their connection with nature