Artist: Xiaoqi Li
Title: Gallop
Date: 2009
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 80 x 180 cm
Provenance: Private collection
Signature: Signed and dated lower right
Condition Report: Good condition

Description:
In Gallop, Xiaoqi Li captures the raw essence of movement and space in a hauntingly atmospheric scene. The horizontal composition is divided into two starkly contrasting halves—an expansive dark sky speckled with bright white stars, and a pale, desolate terrain below. The foreground features a procession of horse-riding figures, their forms shifting between solid presence and spectral dissolution. A lone rider, rendered in a bold black silhouette, leads the way, followed by ghostly echoes of figures that seem to blur and fade into the landscape. The restrained palette, dominated by ochre, sienna, and white, emphasizes the dreamlike quality of the work. Through minimal yet powerful visual elements, Li conveys a profound sense of freedom, momentum, and the unknown, distilling his artistic language to its most potent essence.

About the Artist:
Li Xiaoqi, a graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2005, specializes in comprehensive art and currently works as a freelance artist based in Huangjueping, Chongqing. His works explore surrealism, human introspection, and conceptual depth. Li has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the 7th, 8th, and 9th Annual Exhibitions of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, the Chongqing Watercolor Pastel Painting Exhibition, and various contemporary showcases such as "Foreplay" Contemporary Art Exhibition, "Imaginary World", and "Traces" Idealistic Narrative Contemporary Art Exhibition. His work is recognized for its thought-provoking narratives and dreamlike distortions of reality.