One of the leading realist painters of contemporary China, Ai Xuan is renowned for his technical virtuosity. He is celebrated also as a prime representative of Scar art, which flourished after the Cultural Revolution, particularly for his ability to express his profound humanistic concern for the Chinese people’s cultural and spiritual life in an understated pictorial language. In the 2000s, Ai Xuan and some Beijing-based artists founded the Chinese School of Realism with the goal of showcasing aspects of contemporary China in a realistic manner. Autumn is Here (Lot 1044) is a representative work from this period. Ethnic minorities are frequent subjects for realist oil painters in modern China. Chen Yifei, Chen Danqing, and others painted their respective series of Tibetan subjects in the 1980s and 90s. Yet Ai Xuan is alone in his unwavering dedication to Tibetan subjects for over four decades.

Autumn is Here depicts a Tibetan girl in a vast grassland. Her long hair slightly dishevelled, she wears a heavy zhuba. Despite the extreme cold, she gazes steadily and directly at the viewer. The Tibetan people have learned to coexist with their harsh natural environment. Ai Xuan’s Tibetan girl serves as a symbol of their vitality and unyielding spirit. Ai encountered the work of American realist painter Andrew Wyeth in the 1980s and was deeply moved by the combination of self-expression and humanistic concern in his pastoral and nostalgic realism. From that point onwards, Ai developed his own realist style.

This painting belonged to the renowned collects ion of Century Gallery and is appearing on auction for the first t.mes . The owner of the Century Gallery is a deeply experienced collects or with a wide-ranging collects ion. Since the 1980s, he has been collects ing historical Chinese seals and bronzes and modern Chinese oil paintings. At a t.mes when Chinese realist painters like Ai Xuan and Wang Yidong were just beginning their careers, the owner of Century Gallery had the foresight to acquire their best works and organise exhibitions for them around the world. Acquired from Ai Xuan himself over two decades ago, Autumn is Here was part of the 1997 exhibition “Nostalgia: Selected Paintings by Wang Yidong and Ai Xuan,” organised by the Municipal Council of Macau,” along with several other works generously lent by the owner of the Century Gallery. It is a precious test.mes nt to the decades-long friendship and mutual inspiration between artist and collects or.

艾軒作為中國寫實畫派領軍人物，其繪畫技巧高超卓絕，善於以樸實無華的藝術語言表達對人文生活、民族精神的深切關注，成為改革開放之後盛極一時的「傷痕藝術」之代表。千禧年後，艾軒與一群北京藝術家為重振強調基本功的寫實畫，成立「中國寫實畫派」，以別具匠心的畫作展示現代中國的多元時代寫照，本季呈獻之《秋天仍是這個樣子》（拍品編號1044）即為傑出代表，深具歷史重量與文化價值。現代中國寫實油畫名家輩出，當中不乏關注少數民族的作品，如陳逸飛、陳丹青等，在八、九〇年代都一度發展出自己的「西藏系列」，唯獨艾軒一人近四十年來矢志不渝，始終專注西藏題材，成就膾炙人口的系列。

《秋天仍是這個樣子》中的藏族女孩身處廣闊的草原，在寒風之中其秀髮稍有凌亂，她穿著的厚重的棉襖，都表現出氣候寒風入骨。然而女孩一雙清澈的雙眸直觸著觀眾，則反映出堅毅不屈的精神，傳遞著一種孤寂空靈的攝人力量。面對著險峻嚴寒的自然環景，藏民畢生找尋共存之道，而艾軒其所刻畫的西藏女孩，正代表著一種對生命的堅毅與執著，突顯藏人不屈不撓的精神面貌。艾軒在八〇年代初次接觸到二十世紀美國著名寫實大師安德魯・懷斯的作品，並深受「鄉愁寫實主義」中融合個人情感與鄉土情懷的特色所共鳴，繼而發展出個人的寫實風格，創於九〇年代的本作，即屬此風格的成熟體現。

本作原由著名蘇齋珍藏，並首次出現拍場。蘇齋主人為資深收藏家，藏品領域廣闊，自八、九〇年代開始致力收藏中國歷代印章、青銅及現代油畫，而在艾軒、王沂東等寫實名家事業方興之時，已經獨具慧眼收藏其精品，多年來與藝術家保持良好關係，更傾力協助藝術家在各地舉行展覽。本作由蘇齋主人直接向藝術家本人購入，並在創作過程中互相交流，至今珍藏二十載，蔚為難得。作品曾參與1997年澳門市政廳畫廊舉行之「鄉土情懷－王沂東・艾軒油畫選」展覽，當時蘇齋主人大力支持辦展並借出數作，足見藏家與藝術家之間的深厚情誼，如今再次公開亮相，購藏機會難得。