Oil on canvas

29.5 × 40 cm. 11 5/8 x 15 3/4 in.

Signed in Chinese and dated on bottom left
PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Images beyond Images
As he is an important representative of the third generation of Chinese oil painters, Wei Qimei’s works have always adhered to the pursuit of artistic conception in traditional Chinese painting, and art historian Shao Dazhao once referred to him as one of the most outstanding artists in Poetic Realism.
The Cowboy is a classic Wei Qimei painting from the eighties. Although most of his works from this period were based on modern urban life, this one shows he also harbored an interest in rustic rural life. Wei utilized a country lane to create a visual focus while depicting idyllic autumn scenery of a mountain village with rich and simple colors. He painted a cowherd and large cow walking slowly along a country lane with nearby houses and trees visible in the distance and catching the viewer’s interest. A clear, blue river flows in the foreground, echoing the distant mountains and the blue sky and creating a pleasant, rustic atmosphere. Tree branches stretch toward the heavens, and this gives off a sense of order and shows a delicate balance between realism and poetic expression. The painter deliberately blurred the details of the elements, so that the trees, houses, ground, and river all seem to blend with each other, reflecting the innocent beauty of nature.

Price estimate:
HKD: 60,000 - 80,000
USD: 7,700 - 10,300

Auction Result:
HKD: --