Artwork Description

Title: Hundred Lakes Studio
Artist: Wei Luning
Date: 2016
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 19.7 x 23.6 in (50 x 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Hundred Lakes Studio is a contemplative interior scene rendered in oil on canvas by acclaimed Chinese artist Wei Luning. Painted in 2016, the work captures a quiet domestic space suffused with natural light. The viewer’s eye is led from a foreground of angular furniture and muted tones to a luminous kitchen bathed in pastel greys and soft whites, where a solitary figure in a red garment adds a poignant human presence. The loose brushwork and semi-abstract treatment of form imbue the piece with intimacy and painterly subtlety.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
In contrast to his renowned lotus landscapes, this work exemplifies Wei Luning’s versatility and his sensitivity to interior space. Drawing upon impressionist and post-impressionist influences, Wei softens architectural clarity into emotional atmosphere. His palette here is restrained—dominated by greys, soft yellows, and dusky violets—punctuated only by the red figure and a few pastel highlights. The composition recalls Bonnard’s domestic interiors, yet Wei brings a distinctly contemporary Chinese sensibility, transforming everyday space into a reflective environment.

3. Historical Context
Wei Luning, born in 1952, has long been celebrated for his poetic portrayals of natural and cultivated landscapes. Hundred Lakes Studio, however, offers a rare glimpse into a more personal and introspective genre: the studio interior. The work was created during a period when contemporary Chinese artists increasingly explored themes of isolation, memory, and personal space—often as metaphors for cultural transformation. Within this context, Wei’s subdued interior resonates with both emotional distance and gentle familiarity.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The canvas is stable, with no visible wear, loss, or restoration. The impasto areas and brushwork remain crisp and well-preserved. The painting is ready for display or archival framing.

6. Artistic Significance
Hundred Lakes Studio stands as an evocative departure from Wei Luning’s nature-focused oeuvre, revealing a quieter, more introspective facet of his artistic vision. Its layered surfaces and meditative composition invite the viewer into a moment of calm observation—one that honors both the material world and the emotional subtleties within it. This work would enrich any collection focused on contemporary Chinese painting, intimate realism, or the evolving tradition of the artist’s interior.