Oil on canvas

35×26.5 cm 13 3/4×10 3/8 in

Signed in English and dated on bottom left
PROVENANCE
Private collection， AsiaGraduated from the Oil Painting Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1993， the 24 year old young artist Mao Yan began to display his talent by creating the work “The Portrait of Xiaoshan”， with which he received the Academic Awards by the first Guangzhou Contemporary Art Biennale. The painting reflects the artist’s ambition and exquisite techniques on composition， as well as his impressive and comprehensive control over the imaging. It makes his fame as one of the most intelligent Chinese contemporary artists. Influenced by his professor’s painting style that contains classical spirit， Mao Yan is devoted to explore the contemporary transition of the classical language of art， attempting to rejuvenate the commutated spirit which is gradually obviated. He adopts methodologies of classicalism， to depict the “spiritual portraiture”of the generation. Mao is regarded as one of the rare artists who exhaustively experiments on forms and ingenuity.
In the end of 1990s， by chance Mao Yan met Thomas， who was an exchange student from Luxembourg studying in Nanjing. This encountering kickoffs the artist’s consecutive reknowned “Thomas Series”. Year 2004 to 2007 witnesses its maturest phase， when many representative works are created. It is also the years when Thomas’s physical appearance most characterizes and aligns with the unique spirit and charm under Mao’s brush. The painting The Portrait of Thomas is right one of the representatives back then.
In the painting The Portrait of Thomas， the artist illustrates the right side view of the figure from a slight high angle shot. The symbolic frosty light gray creates a lofty sense found in the Renaissance classical paintings. The titanium white mixed with light grey lays upon layers to form the face， the grey outlining the delicate face features. The dark grey hairline dissolves into the background， against sublime layers and graduate colors rendered by agile brush strokes. These techniques unfold a brand-new possibility for realistic paintings， at the same time， reveal the artist’s superb technique and artistic aptitude. Thomas in the painting poses in his classic gesture， with blink eyes and meditated blurred appearance. A spotlight from the above falls on his forehead to his close-up right eye， then forms a light shading at the brown bridge. The sweeping eyelashes rest in calamity， overlooking his straight and handsome nose bridge， revealing his unusual nobility and serenity. The artist applies the western classical techniques to create multiple layers via his intentional arrangements of light and shadow. He also invented the rich overlaps of light and shadow beyond realistic sensation， to forge an exclusive， fluid and gleaming aura of elegance.

Price estimate:
HKD: 350,000 – 450,000
USD: 44,900 – 57,700

Auction Result:
HKD: --