"Proof of Youth No. 3" (2008) is arguably one of the finest examples of the unique and sublime oil paintings by internationally famed Chinese Contemporary artist Cao Xiaodong (China, B.1961). This work is painted at a major scale and speaks directly to the social and cultural differences between East and West. In this stunning work, Cao has spatially and thematically divided the canvas in half vertically at center placing different colors and figures on either side. On the left stands a young, beautiful Chinese woman dressed in a standard issue "Red Guard" PRC uniform, replete with a cap covering her long hair that she wears in braids in a staged, awkward pose, her "proof of youth" used as political propaganda during China's Cultural Revolution in China. On the right, in vivid contrast stands a stunning young blonde woman also posing, but in a seductive and empowered manner with the Eiffel Tower at her back. This woman's 'uniform" is the Western style mini-dress, stockings, and heels she models, her "proof of youth" embraced by the Sexual Revolution in America and the U.S. Cao paints all of his works to imitate vintage photographs and in the painstaking pointillism technique, applying thousands of tiny dots of oil paint to his canvas by hand, each work taking months to complete. A Contemporary feature embellishment is the computer commands, as well as white crop-lines and demarcations that he uses when scanning the original photographs. This painting measures 70.85 x 70.85 inches (180 x180 cm) is unframed and in excellent condition.

The artist was born in China in 1961 and he graduated from Industry Design College, Jiangnan University in 1982. His work is held in top Private and Museum Collections, and notable exhibitions include:
2011: "History and Future", Soemo Fine Arts, Beijing, China.
2010: "Link," Shanghai Mingyuan Art Museum, China.
2010: "Trace", Time Museum, Beijing, China.
2009 "Cao Xiaodong Abstract Solo Exhibition"Egg Gallery, Beijing, China.
2008 "Cao Xiaodong Solo Exhibition", Ode Gallery, Singapore.
2008: "Save As", Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami, USA.