Night Market in Old Chongqing

The Zhejiang-born artist Xu Xi creates an atmospheric illustration of everyday life in the modern city of Chongqing in southwestern China. Known as a mountain town with dwellings built among the hills, Chongqing is a popular destination due to its spectacular views, spicy food, and relaxed lifestyle. Xu Xi’s powerful painting is a study of the city’s night scene. Vendors line the stone steps that wind up through the crowded dwellings, some under heavily tiled roofs dimmed in the dark. Clusters of people gathering around food stalls enjoy a late-night dinner. Others walk on the stone steps, returning to their homes in the hills.

Xu Xi has successfully combined traditional Chinese mediums and brush techniques with Western elements. Intense fluorescent light streams from food booths and residence windows, casting yellow shadows, which is an effect not found in classical Chinese ink paintings. The composition is complex and strong. Unlike a traditional Chinese painting that commonly leaves empty space to convey distance, this work, fully occupied with brushwork, sets a wide spotlight on the storied road, leading the viewer to imagine infinite heights.