Artwork Description

Title: Overnight
Artist: Sun Yan
Date: 2017
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 31.5 x 23.6 in (80 x 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Overnight by Sun Yan presents a hauntingly quiet forest path, inhabited by a solitary, ghostlike figure rendered in pale tones. The hazy figure stands with its back turned, partially raising an arm as if in hesitation or reflection, framed by rough, gestural brushwork that evokes trees and shadows. The scene straddles the line between dream and memory, offering an emotionally charged atmosphere that invites personal interpretation.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Sun Yan’s work is characterized by expressive figuration and moody abstraction, blending elements of psychological realism with gestural modernism. The contrast between the sharply silhouetted figure and the fluid, almost abstract background speaks to an emotional duality—presence versus absence, clarity versus ambiguity. His style may echo the existential tones of post-war European painters, while also resonating with the sensibilities of contemporary Chinese narrative painting.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2017, Overnight reflects the ongoing evolution of Chinese contemporary art where personal introspection and ambiguous storytelling became a powerful countercurrent to grand historical themes. At a time when younger artists sought to express psychological landscapes, Sun Yan’s work stood out for its poetic restraint and deeply felt atmospheres, mirroring a broader shift in Chinese oil painting toward the internal and emotive.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with no visible signs of wear, surface damage, or discoloration. The paint surface appears stable, and the canvas is properly stretched.

6. Artistic Significance
Overnight stands as a meditative and mysterious painting that resonates with themes of solitude, memory, and the unknown. Sun Yan’s deft handling of figuration within an abstracted landscape marks this work as both visually compelling and emotionally profound. It is an evocative example of his broader exploration of the human condition through simplified forms and atmospheres laden with ambiguity.