Nie Ou

signed NIE OU, inscribed, dated 1993, and with two seals of the artist; inscribed on reverse

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner mid-1990s

Nie Ou - Origins, Plum Blossoms (International) Ltd., Hong Kong, 1993, pl.33.

Generally in good condition, with minor foxing can be found at the upper left corner on the painting side, which can be improved by restoration.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Nie Ou received formal training in Chinese Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing later taught at the Beijing Painting Academy. Having exhibited extensively in China and overseas, her artworks are currently in the collections of notable public institutions such as the British Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, and New South Wales Art Gallery.

Nie Ou is admired for her cheerful depictions of celebratory scenes and rural life in China.  During the Cultural Revolution, Nie Ou was sent to work in the farms of Yanbei, in Shanxi province. However, in contrast to many of her contemporaries, Nie Ou reveled in her time in the countryside, calling it the "most fruitful years of my youth." The scenery and simplicity of rural life have thus been a primary source of the artist's inspiration. Village Farmers (Lot 2862) and A Soft Breeze Blows (Lot 2863) illustrate Nie's ability to combine a wide range of brushstrokes and ink tones to recreate the happy and relaxed village life she enjoyed so much. In A Soft Breeze Blows, Nie Ou paired the work with a particularly apt poem originally written by Han Yu (768 – 824), who was distinguished from his more elitist contemporaries for using everyday language and imagery in his poetry. The Tang dynasty poem describes a sentimental journey to a remote Buddhist temple and admiration for life's simple pleasures.