Shao Yuan Zhang

Lone Star, Oil Painting

2019

Artist Comments
"This painting was inspired by the idea that we are shaped by outside forces, but remain unchanged, we persist in the face of adversity," says Shao. "It is what makes us human." Shao's energetic paintings of stallions explore and illustrate movement through nature. This work represents an immigrant's journey, filled with strength and perseverance. Shao incorporates both contemporary watercolor and traditional ink calligraphy styles into this series of oil paintings.

About the Artist
Art has been with Shao Yuan Zhang for the majority of his extraordinary, and at times difficult, life journey. Raised in communist China, Zhang was sent to the countryside as a teenager where he worked in the rice fields and created Cultural Revolution propaganda art for the communist party. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s and settled in Utah to attend art school. His energetic paintings of racehorses juxtapose a contemporary feel with a traditional Chinese ink painting style. Through the combination of subject matter and technique, Zhang incorporates both the East and West in his work.

Words that describe this painting: derby, Kentucky Derby, horse, racing, animals, sports, representational, contemporary, oil painting, black

Lone Star
Shao Yuan Zhang
Oil painting on stretched canvas
Finished white edges
Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front
2019
36 in. h x 48 in. w x 1.5 in. d
10 lbs. 0 oz.