Acrylic on canvas

55×65 cm. 21 5/8×25 5/8 in.

Signed in initials and dated on bottom right; titled in English, signed in Chinese and initials, and dated on the reverse

LITERATURE
2024, JINGZHIYONG 2023 Art Book, Jing Zhiyong, Beijing, p. 160 - 161
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the artist

Eternal Echoes Beyond the Silver Screen
The Charming Visual Language of Jing Zhiyong

The understated, enigmatic painter Jing Zhiyong graduated from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 2007. Using simple compositions and calming colours, he paints cinematic images infused with ingenious dark humour and a touch of mysteriousness. Since 2018, he has been posting works and videos of creation processes on social media platforms, accumulating millions of fans; his works frequently sell out instantly upon release. In recent years, his works have been featured in major auctions and entered the White Rabbit Gallery's collection in Australia.

A Daydream Under the Blue Sky of Texas

Jing Zhiyong has a profound love for the cinema. His paintings are deeply inspired by the exhilarating plotlines, exquisitely designed sets, and compositions of great cinematic masters. He often features characters from classic films in his paintings, reviving them off-screen and unfolding around them new storylines that stimulate the viewer's imagination.

Released on Valentine's Day in 2023, Valentine's Day takes inspiration from Pearl, the protagonist of two popular thrillers released in 2022, Pearl and X. In the films, as a homicidal maniac, the lonely Pearl grew up in an uncaring family, with only a scarecrow as the object of her love fantasies. The failure to escape Texas and the destruction of her dreams drove her to desperation. Jing Zhiyong presents the young Pearl dressed in her iconic country girl outfit, striding towards Mr. Scarecrow with excitement, as if to say "Happy Valentine's Day!" In the distance, the farmhouse and the Scarecrow are waiting for her, while soft, white clouds drift across the blue sky - life seems quiet and well. The balloon, wearing a hat, is an allusion to Pearl, who is confined to this place and unable to speak. Like a storm brewing in the middle of peace and tranquillity, the artist creates a remarkably theatrical scene.

Price estimate:
HKD 25,000 - 50,000
USD 3,200 – 6,400