Fang Lijun
Fang Lijun was born on 1963 Born in Handan, Hebei
province, PR China. The bald headed youth which first appeared in the artist's
paintings in the early 1990s has become Fang Lijun's characteristic figure and
has been widely interpreted as the symbol of disillusion, mockery and rebellion
in present Chinese society. Later series include the water series, dreamlike
works of swimmers, and gigantic, multi-panel, woodblock prints.
Fang Lijun is the leading protagonist of Cynical Realism, the major movement of
the post-1989 era in contemporary Chinese art. Cynical Realism, an urban based
movement, developed in the aftermath of the events of 1989 which included not
only the demonstrations at Tiananmen Square but the closure earlier that year of
the "China Avant Garde" exhibition at the China National Gallery in Beijing by
the authorities. Fang's monumental sized prints revive the ancient Asian
practice of woodblock printing -- a complicated and exacting process of carving
a 'negative' image into a panel, coating the surface in ink, and impressing the
image onto paper; each different color and tone requires a separate plate and
order of printing. Due to their immense scale, Fang's images are composed on
several adjoined scrolls, Thematically, each of these prints describe the plight
of the individual against the 'mass', creating a spiritual contemplation of
solitude the quest for personal probity in the face of adversity.
Fang's painting 30th Mary evokes these same sentiments with a humorous effect.
Reminiscent of European church ceiling paintings, Fang portrays an order of
ascendancy of same-same kewpie figures, each based on his own image. one of the
most famous images of contemporary Chinese art is the Fang Lijun painting owned
by the Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Series 2 - Number 2, 1992. The main figure, a
friend of the artist, could be yawning or yelling while the mute, menacing
figures in the background bring to mind mindless, manipulated masses. The
contrast between the strong individuality of the main figure and the dazed
conformity of the four background figures is overwhelming. The exhibition of
their works at the China National Gallery was the culmination of that decade and
signaled to the artists that they had been recognized. The dramatic closure of
the exhibition soon after its opening marked the destruction of those goals.
Selected Exhibitions-
2006 * Kupferstichkabinett Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany 2005 * National
Galerie / China Art Museum,Beijing, China Art Cologne, Germany 2004 * Fang Lijun,
Leben Ist Jetzt, Alexander Ochs Galleries Berlin,Beijing,Berlin,Germany 2002 *
Fang Lijun, Between Beijing & Dali,Woodcuts & Paintings 1989 - 2002,Ludwig Forum
for InternationaleKunst Aachen 2001 * Fang lijun, Asian Fine Art, Berlin * Prüss
+ Ochs Gallery Germany 1998 * Fang Lijun, Max Protetch Gallery, New York * From
Beijing to Amsterdam and Back,Stedelijk Museum/Galerie Serieuse Zaken,Amsterdam
1996 * Fang Lijun: Human Images in an Uncertain Age, The Japan Foundation Asia
Center,Tokyo * Fang Lijun, Galerie Bellefroid, Paris * Fang Lijun, Galerie
Serieuse Zaken, Amsterdam
Conclusions: Fang Lijun is the leading protagonist of Cynical Realism, the major
movement of the post-1989 era in contemporary Chinese art. Fang Lijun exhibited
his works at the China National Gallery which was the culmination of that decade
and signaled to the artists that they had been recognized at Chinese art
circles.
About the Author:
View Fang Lijun paintings, biography, solo exhibitions, group exhibitions and
resource of Miao Xiaochun artist.View art online at The Saatchi Gallery - London
contemporary art gallery.
Fang Lijun