Nieh Ou (b. 1948)
Bull
Hanging Scroll, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 27 x 18 in., ( 68.5 x 46 cm.)

Nieh Ou is an artist who taught herself to paint after high school. During the "cultural revolution" (1966 - 1976) she lived and worked in the countryside. Three years after her return to Beijing she was accepted at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing Painting Academy.

Her years of living in rural areas must have made deep impressions on her. In her paintings she tends to concentrate on rural scenes. This piece, "Life in the Village", was painted in 1982. It suggests a few elements commonly seen in the vast areas of rural China - a dilapidated house, a lone, unperturbed bull and a few chicks looking hard for crumbs. Nieh Ou turns away from a traditionally refined brush by adopting a "primitive" style to evoke rustic simplicity as well as humor.

This painting was purchased by funds provided by Sharon and Hughes Griffis in 1987.