Five Donkeys

Huang Zhou, who was born Liang Huangzhou in Hebei province, was strongly influenced by his years in the army spent among the minority peoples of Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. Throughout his career as a painter, Huang Zhou was inspired by their dynamic dances and bright clothing. He brought this same interest in capturing the energy and spirit of his subjects, despite their humble status, to his paintings of animals. In particular, Huang Zhou is known for his depictions of donkeys, which he studied at length and sketched often.  As can be seen in both this painting and a group of eight donkeys painted a few years later, which was formerly in the collection of Robert H. Ellsworth and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1986.267.444), Huang Zhou effectively conveyed the ebullient vitality of these animals with quick, abbreviated brushwork; a combination of young and mature donkeys in a variety of active postures; and widely varying ink tones.