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A portrait depicting the artist, an asian man, wearing a black cowboy hat with a dark blue collard shirt. The figure is at a 3/4 angle looking away from the viewer with the background being a light blue wash over an orange-ish brown undertone.

All American

PingYu Hsu

Oil on Canvas

Undergraduate

The typical depiction of a cowboy is one seen as heroic and free; however, the idea of a cowboy itself is rooted in the experience of an immigrant, pursuing freedom and opportunity in the land of freedom and opportunity. Yet, there is a lack of representation of Asians in the Wild West—Asian cowboys. So, I decided to depict myself, an immigrant, as a cowboy, placing myself into that unfulfilled role.