Artwork Description

Title:Baijia Lake Never Sleeps City

Artist Wei Luning

Date 2016

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions 19.7 x 23.6 in (50 x 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Baijia Lake Never Sleeps City (2016) by Wei Luning presents a moody, impressionistic cityscape that captures the illuminated skyline of an urban environment at night. Executed in oil on canvas, the painting is dominated by rich tonal greys and punctuated with dashes of yellow and orange light, evoking the subtle glimmers of windows and streetlights reflected in the still water below. The scene suggests the contemporary skyline near Baijia Lake, rendered with expressive brushstrokes and a softened, almost dreamlike abstraction.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This work marks a tonal departure from Wei’s softer daylight lake scenes, instead embracing a dramatic chiaroscuro reminiscent of Nocturnes by Whistler. The impasto application and urban subject recall elements of modern abstraction and atmospheric realism, while still maintaining the artist’s nuanced control of color and light. Wei Luning masterfully captures the psychological tension of city life—alive, pulsing, and distant—transforming a familiar skyline into a contemplative nocturnal vision.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2016, the work reflects the growth and dynamism of Nanjing’s Baijia Lake district, once a suburban periphery and now a bustling urban node. As China’s cities expanded at unprecedented rates, artists like Wei Luning chronicled this metamorphosis not with documentary precision, but through mood, memory, and tone. The Title:—Never Sleeps City—echoes global urban narratives, linking Baijia Lake to the cosmopolitan rhythms of cities like Shanghai, New York, or Hong Kong.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with the exception of abrasion marks along the edges, particularly along the upper side. These marks are peripheral to the composition and could be addressed through light conservation framing. The paint layer is stable and luminous, and no significant structural concerns are present.

6. Artistic Significance
Baijia Lake Never Sleeps City is a striking example of Wei Luning’s ability to adapt his refined landscape language to the context of modernity and urban nightscapes. This piece broadens the scope of his oeuvre, illustrating his sensitivity not only to nature but also to the quiet pulse of the built environment. For collectors of contemporary Chinese art, the work represents both technical mastery and a poetic vision of China's evolving cityscapes.