Artwork Description

Title: Autumn Carol Singing Dusk
Artist: Huijun Gao
Date: 2008
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 180 x 80 cm (70.9 x 31.5 in)

1. Artwork Identification
In Autumn Carol Singing Dusk, Gao Huijun stages an enchanting and surreal composition where a solitary bird stands atop a floating rock in a sky of swirling golds and violets. Below, richly detailed trees and undulating terrain evoke a classical Chinese landscape, while the dramatic contrast between sky and earth charges the work with poetic tension.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Fusing traditional Chinese landscape aesthetics with imaginative surrealism, Gao reimagines shan shui conventions through a contemporary lens. The fine brushwork on the foliage and rocks reflects deep grounding in classical techniques, while the hovering bird and strange luminosity of the clouds introduce a dreamlike, almost allegorical atmosphere. The warm hues and stylized forms echo Tang poetic imagery, filtered through a modern sensibility.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2008, this work demonstrates Gao's signature approach of inward reflection through natural imagery. Emerging from the artist’s established studio practice in Songzhuang, the piece avoids direct commentary on socio-political realities and instead invokes a metaphysical stillness, offering an alternative kind of engagement with the world—through mystery, memory, and mood.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. Colors remain vibrant and stable, and the canvas is well-preserved, with no apparent issues.

6. Artistic Significance
Autumn Carol Singing Dusk captures Gao Huijun’s delicate balancing act between tradition and imagination. The lone bird—singing perhaps in joy, perhaps in solitude—stands as a poignant metaphor for the artist himself: deeply rooted in cultural heritage, yet suspended in an otherworldly realm of his own creation. This lyrical painting invites viewers to meditate on sound, silence, and the fleeting nature of dusk.