Childhood/Girl with a Dog Oil on canvas 31 1/2 x 39 in. 80.0 x 99.1 cm Property of the Estate of Atsuko Hirai, Lewiston, Maine Property of the Estate of Atsuko Hirai, Lewiston, Maine Mr. Hirai was professor of History and Asian Studies at Bates College, Lewiston Exhibited The Ageless Uighurs, Oil paintings by Wang Yong-sheng, The Chinese Culture Institute, Boston, September 1 – 23, 1995 From the catalogue of the above exhibition:Painter Wang Yong-sheng came from Hetian, Xinjiang, the westernmost part of China. Even by Beijing's standard, it was a remote and exotic area. To ordinary Chinese, Hetian has traditionally been known for its craftsmanship of jade carving and carpet weaving; and musically, for its variety of instruments, singing, and dancing.  Moreover, the beauty of the Uighur daughters were sung by Chinese children everywhere, for the Uighur folk songs have been the most popular singing in China.He was born and grew up among the Uighur people in the countryside.His parents are the Han Chinese, who, like other college graduates in the 1950s, were assigned to take residence and to work in Xinjiang.  In his early childhood, he was found to be good at writing big Chinese characters, which was taught by his father as part of his education.  He recalled that in the 60s and 70s, whenever there arose the need to promote a political campaign by means of big-character posters and cartoons, he was always asked to lend a helping hand. That was how he remembered that he started to pursue a career of art.Today he wants nothing of politics to do with his paintings, which have a focus on the Uighur people. In his eyes, the Uighurs are extremely optimistic people and can enjoy life to its fullest under hardship. He said that his paintings were aimed to depict the sense of harmony that he has learned from them.In the 36 paintings chosen to be displayed at the gallery of the Chinese Culture Institute, the Uighur people, men, women and children; their livestock , sheep and camels, as well as their living environments were vividly presented.  He is the first Chinese painter from Xinjiang to give such an exhibition in Boston, and his works deserve our attention.

Good condition, good appearance, no apparent restoration when examined with a black light