Artwork Description

Title:Westbound 2

Artist
Pan Guanqun

Date
2007

Medium:
Oil on canvas

Dimensions
78 3/4 x 70 7/8 in (200 x 180 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Westbound 2 is a contemplative and symbol-laden painting that features a solitary figure riding a white horse along a precarious mountain path. The rider, dressed in a muted gray robe, moves away from the viewer into a vast, brooding sky. A gnarled, leafless tree juts into the composition from the left, bearing a delicate orange flower and a string of Buddhist prayer beads—symbols that evoke fragility, resilience, and spiritual seeking.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Pan Guanqun’s realist technique merges with surrealist atmospherics in this haunting composition. His meticulous rendering of textures—bark, cloth, and horsehair—grounds the piece in academic oil painting tradition, while the dreamlike composition and poetic isolation reflect the influence of Chinese literati painting and postmodern existentialism. The sparse palette and use of negative space reinforce a mood of meditative solitude.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2007, Westbound 2 can be seen within the broader context of early 21st-century Chinese art, when younger artists increasingly reflected on identity, mortality, and tradition in an era of rapid transformation. The Title: suggests a journey—perhaps metaphorical—toward wisdom, spiritual enlightenment, or escape, echoing the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West while imbuing it with contemporary ambiguity.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
This work is in very good condition. The canvas is structurally sound and the surface shows no signs of damage or previous restoration. The paint layers are stable with a luminous patina.

6. Artistic Significance
Pan Guanqun’s Westbound 2 exemplifies his unique voice in contemporary Chinese painting—bridging solemn allegory with modern surrealism. This meditative work invites viewers into a quiet world of introspection, one that rewards contemplation and stands as a powerful metaphor for the human journey. It holds notable appeal for collectors of Asian contemporary art and narrative realism.