"Blue Sky" (2009) is a rare and exciting work by famed Contemporary Chinese artist Cao Xiaodong that conflates imagery of a smiling Chinese , totally unaware of the apocalyptic skies behind him filled with sharks as well as the nuclear mushroom cloud in the distance. The surreal narrative is heightened by the manner in which Cao paints, intentionally imitating a vintage photograph, as if this scene could really happen, with irony underscored by the title. Cao paints using a unique version of the pointillism technique, painstakingly applying thousands of tiny dots of oil paint by hand onto the canvas, each work taking months to complete. The large-scale oil painting measures 59 x 43.30 inches in unframed and in excellent condition.

Cao Xiaodong graduated from Industry Design College, Jiangnan University in 1982. Notable Solo Exhibitions include: 2009 "Cao Xiaodong Abstract Solo Exhibition", Egg Gallery, Beijing, China; 2008 "Cao Xiaodong Solo Exhibition", Ode Gallery, Singapore and "Save As", Virginia Miller Gallery, Miami, USA. Selected Group Exhibitions: 2011 "History and Future", Soemo Fine Arts, Beijing, China and in 2010 "Link," at the Shanghai Mingyuan Art Museum, China and again in 2010 "Trace" ,Time Museum, Beijing and was also invited to exhibit at "The 25th Asia International Art Exhibition", Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The artist lives and works in Beijing, China