Wang Tongren (born 1937) China, dated 1978 77,3 x 42 cm Four Donkeys. Hanging scroll, ink on paper. Inscription and signature by the artist: “In the wuwu year (1978) painted at the shores of the Huanghe river, Tongren.” Three seals of the artist: „Wang”, “Tongren hua yin”, “gu Jin cheng ren”. German private collection, assembled before 2007 Wang Tongren is from Lanzhou in Gansu province. In his youth he studied Chinese painting with Huang Zhou (1925-1997), who is famous for his paintings of donkeys and Uighur people’s life. In 1961 he finished his study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Peking, where he later became professor for Chinese painting. He adopted the style of his teacher Huang Zhou and became a well known painter of figures and especially oxen depicting the rural life of the Tibetan people. His traditional ink wash technique is combined with carefully observed naturalism and vivid expression of the natural behavior of the animals.