Artwork Description

Title: Space NO.49
Artist: Mingqing Yang
Date: 2011
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 23.6 x 19.7 in (60 x 50 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
This minimalist composition by Mingqing Yang, Title:d Space NO.49, is an oil on canvas work created in 2011. Measuring 60 x 50 cm, the piece features a solitary industrial valve rendered in stark black against a near-white wall. With geometric precision and tonal restraint, Yang transforms this mundane object into a meditative study of space, function, and perception.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Mingqing Yang’s visual language bridges the boundaries of Realism and Minimalism, with subtle nods to Conceptual Art. In Space NO.49, the artist employs a monochromatic palette that enhances the formal qualities of line, negative space, and light-shadow interplay. The work evokes comparisons to Giorgio Morandi’s meditative still lifes and the spatial inquiries of Donald Judd—stripping form to its essence while infusing it with quiet psychological depth.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2011, this work reflects a contemporary Chinese aesthetic movement interested in stillness, structure, and object-oriented ontology. Amidst an era of rapid industrialization and urban transformation, Yang’s focus on an isolated utility fixture can be interpreted as a reflection on the overlooked architectural features that quietly shape daily life. The work aligns with a broader international discourse on the aesthetics of the everyday.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The surface shows no signs of abrasion, cracking, or discoloration. The canvas is taut and structurally sound. No restoration has been undertaken, and the painting presents well under gallery lighting.

6. Artistic Significance
Space NO.49 exemplifies Mingqing Yang’s deft ability to find meaning and formal beauty in the seemingly banal. This work is a compelling addition for collectors interested in contemporary Chinese minimalism, object-oriented painting, or the poetics of urban detail. It invites viewers into a slowed mode of seeing, transforming a utilitarian valve into an object of contemplative resonance.