Lot 690: WANG YIDONG

WANG YIDONG B. 1955 SILK AND SILENCE signed in pinyin and Chinese and dated 1990 (lower right) Executed in 1990 oil on canvas 115 by 88.3 cm.; 45 1/4 by 34 3/4 in.

Private Asian Collection (Sold: Sotheby's, Hong Kong, May, 1995)

China's Romantic Realist artist, Wang Yidong, was particularly concerned with the plight of China's working class during the early stages of his career. Later, Wang strove to capture and record the honest and beautiful virtuosity of the common man and the regional characteristics of his subjects. In Silk and Silence, completed in 1990, Wang has depicted traditional Chinese wood carving in the background windowpane and a women sitting centrally, dressed in Chinese-style clothing. The background light illuminates the silk embroidery in her hand and from her smooth skin and elegant clothing one can infer that she has a carefree life. The rays of light from the round window spill onto her two cheeks, her clothes and between her fingers; time seems to have stopped with the movement of her sewing needle.

In the tradition of classical painting, according to artists, painting a backlit figure was a difficult task. However, in this work Wang has used just the right amount of colour and tone to convey the delicate beauty and serenity of the scene. This work is successful in form and visual composition and describes the simplicity of life's happiness.