French scholar Julia Kristeva once proposed the theory of "intertextuality" in the field of literary research. She pointed out: No text exists in isolation. It will always be related to other texts - the thoughts and discourses of predecessors or contemporaries. , various direct or indirect literary marriages have occurred, and all texts are inextricably linked. In the 1990s, the theory of "intertextuality" was transplanted into the field of art, generating many related terms and concepts, explaining from various angles that images are not isolated, but exist in an image system.

This season China Guardian has selected unique works by twelve artists including Liu Ye, Wang Yin, Wang Xingwei, Zhang Enli, Qin Qi, Ouyang Chun, Qiu Xiaofei, Chen Fei and Chen Ke. The images they chose are condensed and restrained. , accurate, relies on the selected depiction objects to carry the intended narrative, and also provides a visual illustration that is freer and richer in image freedom, breaking away from political metaphors or consumption totems, and returning to one of the most essential aspects of art, the artist himself The expression of spiritual thoughts. They have formed a unique creative language and visual symbols. These works are very mature in terms of narrative or painting, and can still evolve into many angles of interpretation.

Lot 204
Wang Yin(b.1964)
untitled
2015
oil painting on canvas
262×280.5 cm
publish
"Wang Yin: Gift", Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Xinxing Publishing House, Beijing, 2016, pp. 70 to 71
display
"Wang Yin: Gift", March 29 to May 27, 2016, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing

"Untitled" uses gray as the baseline, and the huge earthy yellow color is Wang Yin's favorite. This is also the color of the earth, stable, heavy, and carrying power. Wang Yin depicts an anonymous labor scene, where people and objects are in an unknown state. This decontextualization, deinformationization, and even the faces of the people in the painting are erased, which means that it can remove as much as possible. Unnecessary noise allows the precious "quiet" state to be preserved without interference, and thereby isolates the sense of alienation and isolation that language cannot achieve, giving it a universal concept. Whether it is literature, film or artistic creation, when it comes to the portrayal of working people, praise or compassion seems to be inevitable. But in Wang Yin's works, he never looks up or down. He just looks at it from a distance and records without emotion.

Lot 205
Liu Ye(b.1964)
One of Ruan Lingyu
year 2002
Acrylic on canvas
60×45cm.
publish
"Remembering", Tokyo Gallery, Beijing, 2003, illustrated
"Liu Ye: My Story", Gallery 3, Beijing, 2003, p. 124
"The Artist", February 2003, page 76
"Liu Ye Red, Yellow and Blue", Shaoli Gallery, Hong Kong, 2003, page 9
"Artist", October 2004, page 128
"Shanghai Weekly" 318, November 29, 2006, page A5
"Liu Ye", Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 82
"Chinese Contemporary Art: The 80 Most Famous Artists", Dumont Buchverlag, Cologne, Germany, 2007, p. 246
"Reshaping History: Chinese New Art from 2000 to 2009", Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, Chengdu, 2010, p. 160
"Contemporary Art and Investment", May 2010, page 101
"Chinese Schemas: A Concise Art History of 25 Artists", Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, Chengdu, 2011, p. 88
"Complete Works of Liu Ye from 1991 to 2015", Hatje Cantz Verlag, Germany, 2015, pp. 134 and 307
display
"Liu Ye: Red, Yellow and Blue", November 6-30, 2003, Shaoli Gallery, Beijing
"Liu Ye: Red, Yellow and Blue", January 8-14, 2004, Shaoli Gallery, Hong Kong

After 2002, Liu Ye painted portraits of many famous women, including Ruan Lingyu, Zhou Xuan, Zhang Ailing, Teresa Teng, etc. "Ruan Lingyu No. 1" is the beginning of this series of female portraits. This actress who was half a century away from him became his muse and a motif that cannot be ignored in his creations. It also means that Liu Ye's creative career an important turning point. In the movie "Goddess", Ruan Lingyu is not only a loving mother who devotes all her love to her children, but also a promiscuous woman forced by life. It’s no coincidence that the story turns into a joke of fate: although she was a hot and popular superstar, she experienced the bitterness of being born in a humble background and meeting unkind people, and she died at the age of only 25. Despite Ruan Lingyu's ill-fated fate, Liu Ye did not deliberately depict her misery or emphasize her status as a "victim". Instead, she used a smoking scene in "The Goddess", her masterpiece and the pinnacle of the Chinese silent film era, to freeze the frame. The grace and grace of this legendary woman from a century ago. In the painting, Ruan Lingyu is wearing a dark high-collar cheongsam with a button on the chest, a childish round face, and smoke rings coming out of her mouth are spiraling up. Ruan Lingyu's eyes are slightly closed, against the backdrop of dense smoke and mysterious lights. Emotions become increasingly invisible. The artist adopts a slightly cartoonish style, which strongly collides with the tragic atmosphere of the object's own destiny.
The image in the painting seems childish, dull but clear, showing a dignified sense of sculpture. In terms of painting techniques, Liu Ye puts more emphasis on flat painting, making the painting more flat. Liu Ye weakened the surrealistic juxtaposition of images in his early works, retaining only one character in the picture, and the background is a large monochrome. "This streamlined treatment of the background seems to be somewhere between the face of a dream." Between the abstraction and the blankness of traditional Chinese painting." Liu Ye showed a lightness to suffering, showing "elegance under pressure" on a tortuous and lonely road. The premise of this "lightness" construction is inner self-esteem and spiritual integrity, which comes from "refusing to exhibit one's own trauma" and "avoiding giving oneself the status of a victim", from simplicity, restraint, the intertwining of brightness and sadness, and from eternity fairy tale recipe.

Lot 206
Liu Ye(b.1964)
Cotai Strip
the year 1995
Acrylic oil painting on canvas
170×200 cm.
publish
"New Words of the World", Beijing International Art Gallery, Beijing, 1995, page 27
"Art Documentation", Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House, Wuhan, 1996, page 11 (partial)
"Liu Ye", Ming Jing Di Gallery, Beijing, 1997, page 20
"It's Me", China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Press, Beijing, 2000, p. 199
"Liu Ye", Bern Kunsthalle, Bern, Hong Kong, 2007, exhibition catalogue, pages 22 to 23
"Art Investment", April 2010, pp. 70-71
"Art and Investment", May 2010, pp. 48-49
"Art Investment", May 2010, page 113
"Hi Art", Beijing, May 2010, page 58
"Art and Value", May 2010, page 23
"Contemporary Art and Investment", June 2010, illustrated
"Asia Pacific Art May-June 2010", Asia Pacific Art, Hong Kong, 2010, p. 52
"Art and Value", July 2010, page 35
"Hi Art", Beijing, July to August 2010, pages 79 and 92
"ARTITUDE", Yamo Cultural Industry, Taipei, October 2010, page 87
"Art Investment", January 2011, page 128
"New Continuing History—Chronological Selection of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection of Long Museum", Long Museum, Shanghai Jinxiu Publishing House, Shanghai, 2012, p. 163
"Hi Art", Beijing, October 2013, page 198
"1199 People - Long Museum Collection", Long Museum, Shanghai, 2014, page 65
"L'Officiel Art", Beijing, January 2014, pages 60 to 61
"Complete Works of Liu Ye from 1991 to 2015", Hatje Cantz Verlag, Germany, 2015, pp. 87 and 267
"Walking Slowly - Long Museum 10th Anniversary Special Exhibition", Long Museum, Shanghai, 2023, pages 150 to 151
display
"New Words of the World Exhibition", December 8-11, 1995, Beijing International Art Gallery, Beijing
"Collection Exhibition", 1996, Siheyuan Gallery, Beijing "Mondrian in China: Mondrian Documents and Works of Chinese Artists", 1998, Beijing International Art Gallery, Beijing
"Mondrian in China: Mondrian Documents and Works of Chinese Artists", 1998, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou
"Mondrian in China: Mondrian Documents and Works of Chinese Artists", 1998, Shanghai Library, Shanghai
"1199 Individuals - Long Museum Collection Exhibition", September 28, 2014 to February 15, 2015, Shanghai
"Walking Slowly - Long Museum 10th Anniversary Special Exhibition", May 20 to August 13, 2023, Long Museum, Shanghai

Liu Ye returned to China in 1994, and the following year Mingjingdi Gallery began a three-year representation of Liu Ye's paintings. Also in 1995, Liu Ye created this "Golden Avenue". All the works created by Liu Ye from 1991 to 1995, the maximum size is only 170×200cm, "Golden Avenue" is one of them.

Turning your attention to the canvas, in front of the stage, there is a small Mondrian album and Magritte's hat. The Mondrian album has appeared many times in Liu Ye's works since 1995, becoming one of the most popular works besides Mondrian. Apart from An's works themselves, the most common representative elements are found in Liu Ye's paintings. The cover of the album is "Composition of Red, Yellow and Blue" created by Mondrian in 1927, which can be regarded as the most refined expression of his color theory. The window wall behind the stage background is very thin, and the size ratio between the window frame and the glass is obviously contrary to logic. Liu Ye's works in the 1990s are often full of surrealism and metaphysical painting style. Using windows to introduce light and serve as interfaces, and then using contrast and color to shape and elaborate structure is a major feature of Vermeer. Liu Ye echoed this in many of his early works, and this work is no different. In the center of the stage, the boys and girls who are the protagonists are illuminated by the light. They have wings, round limbs, uniform movements, rosy cheeks, and big smiles on their energetic faces.

Inspired by Alexander Rodchenko, Liu Ye became interested in the formal beauty of airplanes and warships in the posters. Finally, he added a small burning airplane with smoke rising in the distant sky. Now the picture is so This kind of romance, peace and beauty was broken, creating a subtle sense of contradiction. It's good to be broken, it has a chance to be grand, a chance to be close to epic.

Lot 199
Zhang Enli(b.1965)
feast
2005
oil painting on canvas
210×200 cm.
publish
"Zhang Enli: Human Nature", K11 Art Foundation, Shanghai, 2017, page 115
"Colored Houses", Shanghai Culture Publishing House, Shanghai, 2021, page 53
display
"When They Turn 40", May 25 to July 15, 2005, ShanghART H Space, Shanghai
"Colored Houses", September 19 to December 12, 2021, Long Museum Chongqing Branch, Chongqing

Zhang Enli began to create the "Feast" series in 2000. At that time, he had accumulated several years of exploration in portraits, especially the depiction of group portraits, which showed his ultimate control. This work "Feast" was created in 2005. Compared with the rich black and red colors of previous character works, the picture full of tension and contradiction has gradually shifted to a more simple and straightforward spiritual description of the theme. "Feast" uses an overhead perspective as a clue, placing the visual center on the round table in the center of the picture. Zhang Enli cleverly left a lot of white space, leaving only a few traces of plates on the table, and then turned more focus to the diners sitting around the table. In this group portrait, everyone seems to be able to form an independent chapter. They seemed to be sitting together, but they seemed to be immersed in their own world. "Feast" has faded away from the strong colors, and mainly uses concise outlines, and consciously leaves a large area of ​​​​white space, giving the work another kind of alienation and spectatorial temperament.

Although it is no longer heavy and colorful, viewers can still appreciate the freedom and vigor of the picture. Behind the diners feasting, it seems that they can still hear sounds, the sounds of eating, the sounds of conversation, the sounds of showing off, and the sounds of silence - all the possible sounds. The sound existing at the dinner should have been hidden in the silent painting, but the artist reactivated it with flowing brushstrokes.

In the hustle and bustle of life, Zhang Enli chose a unique perspective, combined with his own survival experience, to keenly reveal the amazing fragments scattered in the urban landscape.

Lot 202
Wang Xingwei(b.1969)
Peacock
year 2004
oil painting on canvas
200×155 cm.

"Peacock", created in 2004, was specially drawn by Wang Xingwei for "Peacock", the first film directed by Gu Changwei. The movie tells the story of a family of five in a small town in Anyang, Henan in the 1970s, and depicts the joys and sorrows of small people in a big era. In Wang Xingwei's "Peacock", the painter used realism to contain the weight of life, the pain of life and the unbearable sadness in life conveyed in the film. Its literary nature is self-evident. Although "Peacock" was originally derived from a movie still, Wang Xingwei changed the depressing and terrifying environment and replaced the ordinary black with olive green. Using this unique color divergence, he enhanced the red watermelon and blue dress in the center of the picture, highlighting the The symbolism of the two protagonists. The whole painting is symbolic and fits the state of existence of the three children in the movie. The 1970s and 1980s were an era of rapid social change, which was frenzied and confusing. Wang Xingwei grew up in it, so he can empathize more with the mental outlook of the characters in the play and the uncertainty about the future. Therefore, in terms of technique, Wang Xingwei does not use realistic daubing, but uses many color dots to combine to form a trembling feeling, as if the changes of the times and the flow of time change static into movement, making the time in the painting It continues to flow and flicker, as if it is in progress. As Wang Xingwei said, "I created this painting as a look back at that era."

"How painting creates meaning" is a topic that Wang Xingwei constantly explores. With his wit and keen perception, he creates imaginative narrative effects in the artistic world he constructs. In the creative path of "Peacock", Wang Xingwei took his own talents and interests as conditions, grasped the maximum freedom, and randomly conducted experiments on the automatic generation of painting language and form, which gave the media language an active and independent value. , also brought rich changes to his creation.

Lot 188
Ouyang Chun(b.1974)
The Loneliness of the King (set of 6 pieces)
Year 2008
oil painting on canvas
292×342 cm.
publish
"The King: Ouyang Chun", Fluid Editions&Timezone 8, Hong Kong, 2010, pp. 88 to 89
display
"King", October 2, 2010 to January 9, 2011, Kunstmuseum Berlin, Berlin, Germany
"King", March 2 to June 11, 2011, Austrian National Gallery, Vienna, Austria

Ouyang Chun developed a rich imagination and visual narrative around the concept of "King", and used 30 paintings to capture the fatalistic moments in the life of "King" to reflect the current life and reflect on the complexity and diversity of human nature. Change. "The Loneliness of the King" was created in 2008. It is a piece with a particularly special theme in the "King" series. It does not focus on the most glorious or tragic moments of the king in the legendary story, but restores the ordinary side of the "king" and depicts The transience of the body is in opposition to the eternity of royal power, expressing the complex arrogance, loneliness, hope and disillusionment behind the supreme power. There are many forms of loneliness in Ouyang Chun's paintings: the loneliness of geography, the loneliness of close friends, the loneliness of being unable to integrate... The bitter journey of pursuing art in his early years made Ouyang Chun have such rich feelings about loneliness. "The Loneliness of the King" also It is the most realistic psychological portrayal of Ouyang Chun.

Lot 191

Qin Qi(b.1975)
Farewell 2
2015
oil painting on canvas
251.2×166.5 cm.
publish
"Qin Qi 2012-2022", Tang Contemporary Art Center, Beijing, 2022, page 133
display
"Qin Qi Solo Exhibition", May 21st to July 23rd, 2017, Tang Contemporary Art Center, Beijing

Qin Qi's creations combine the influence of many classic schools of modern art, injecting clear contours and solidity into the paintings, giving them a simple, rich classicism and romanticism. "Farewell 2" was created in 2015. In the picture, the young sailors with outstretched arms raise their hats. The ship is sailing away, but the sailors' eyes are anchored in the composition, saying goodbye to the sailors who cannot say goodbye. , the group of paintings "Farewell" (series) is very special to Qin Qi. He tried to do some formal experiments on works of the same theme and different sizes to differentiate his creations and make the content more dramatic or romantic.

Lot 193
Wei Jia(b.1975)
I'm still young, it doesn't matter if I fail (double couplet)
2007
Acrylic on canvas
120×150 cm.×2
display
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", November 10 to December 9, 2007, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", January 11 to January 25, 2008, University Town Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", February 23 to March 23, 2008, Nanjing Visual Art Museum, Nanjing
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", April 12 to May 11, 2008, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum, Shenyang
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", May 24 to June 22, 2008, Sichuan Art Museum, Chengdu
"Adidas 'Resonance' Sports World Art Exhibition", July 26 to August 26, 2008, Today Art Museum, Beijing
source
Sotheby's Hong Kong, Sports Auction in Art, October 5, 2008, Lot 601 (catalog cover)

In his works from 2004 to 2007, Wei Jia's paintings retained a simple and concise printmaking style, and incorporated the memories of the cartoon era. He used personal stylized lines to outline the image of a boy, discussing the worries and worries of youth of this generation. think.

Created in 2007, "I'm Still Young, It's Okay to Fail" is a large-scale diptych rarely seen in Wei Jia's early works. It is different from the escape and melancholy temperament of the works of the same period, and carries a sense of dissatisfaction unique to adolescence. The enterprising spirit of admitting defeat and moving forward courageously. Its value lies in the fact that Wei Jia started from the heart and showed his sincere ambition and vulnerability. It is like self-reshaping after getting rid of the anger of adolescence. This is a manifestation of his pure and free living state and creative posture.

Lot 189
Qiu Xiaofei(b.1977)
summer palace
year 2004
oil painting on canvas
250×200 cm.
publish
"Heilongjiang Box", Hebei Education Press, Shijiazhuang, September 2006, page 38
display
"Heilongjiang Box", May 17-22, 2006, Central Academy of Fine Arts Exhibition Hall, Beijing

"Summer Palace" was created in 2004 and presented in the first solo exhibition "Heilongjiang Box" at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum in 2006. It is one of the few large-scale works in this exhibition, and is similar to Qiu Xiaofei's early works such as "Looking" "Television", "Perspective", etc. have laid the artist's unique creative conceptual and aesthetic foundation. By copying, rewriting and presenting real images, Qiu Xiaofei overlays his past memories with current emotions. The emotions in the paintings are warm and nostalgic. In the process of tracing, he embeds the emotional atmosphere of personal memories. Public scene. The content and images of "Summer Palace" were not randomly selected, but were based on the scenes of his graduation creation "The Remaining Fruit" from his university days. The artist expanded the story beyond "The Remaining Fruit" to It draws the viewer's attention to the blurred background in the distance - the Summer Palace.

As the "voice-over" of "The Remaining Fruit", "Summer Palace" is like a time machine, carrying Qiu Xiaofei's childhood memories after moving from his hometown to Beijing as a child. Its content is stripped of political themes, calm and warm, and the two works present The artistic conception and atmosphere are completely different, both independent and internally related. Qiu Xiaofei used his healing colors to hide the traces of the turbulent times behind the paintings, and the competition between the two became a driving force for his future creations, inspiring Qiu Xiaofei to create the next surreal and psychological analysis. stage.

Lot 184
Chen Ke(b.1978)
Orchid in the cup
2018
Oil painting tea coaster collage on canvas
80×60 cm.
display
“Chatting with Dad is the serious thing”, December 22, 2018 to March 24, 2019, Yuz Museum, Shanghai

In 2017, Chen Ke created the "Conversation with Dad" series. This is a very special series in her artistic career. It is also the first time that she has truly involved her family. It is the first time that she has used her daughter's perspective to express family affection and depict her. The father in my heart. "Orchid in a Cup" was created in 2018. The artist completed the retrieval of past events through conversations with his father and extracted symbolic scenes. At the same time, he presented some daily old objects in two-dimensional works. This work explores themes such as time, family, and aging, conveying her close observation of a close relative and her awareness of that and beyond. The work shows the image of a father wearing reading glasses sitting on a chair holding a book and reading. His belly is slightly protruding and he is wearing a very contemporary "Chenliang" blue shirt, just like the "father's generation" in many people's minds. Typical image.

In "Orchid in a Cup", Chen Ke specially collaged the coasters that his father used to drink tea on the canvas, and painted a cup of tea on it, showing the traces of time left on the old things. Chen Ke also invited her father to draw the swaying orchid in the cup. The ink orchid in the water echoed the green orchid in the flowerpot, creating an artistic dialogue between father and daughter. The use of tea coasters, a ready-made object, on the one hand makes the work more real and tangible; on the other hand, the inconspicuous coasters represent those things that have been paid silently but are ignored. To some extent, this is also from the artist's narrative perspective. To describe the image of her father in her eyes. "Orchid in a Cup" is a work created by Chen Keren after he reached middle age, faced with the aging of his relatives, the growth of his children, and various complex emotions. It is also a container about memory, understanding and emotion.

Lot 195
Chen Fei(b.1983)
The sky is filled with stars, but I still only love the full moon (double)
Year 2009
Acrylic on canvas
240×190 cm.×2
publish
"Stranger: Chen Fei", China Today Art Museum Publishing Co., Ltd., Hong Kong, 2011, pp. 20 to 23
"Chen Fei", DISTANZ Verlag, Berlin, 2016, pp. 62 to 63
display
"Stranger - Chen Fei Solo Exhibition", November 19-30, 2011, Today Art Museum, Beijing

"The Sky is Full of Stars, I Still Only Love the Full Moon" was created in 2008. It is Chen Fei's representative work when his personal style has matured. It was exhibited in the artist's 2011 important art museum solo exhibition "Strangers" and is also a milestone in his career. One of the largest works. The works at this stage retain a strong narrative style while adding rich and delicate back rendering. The main subject of the picture unfolds the narrative in an unconstrained imaginary situation, which is exciting and full of vigor.

Chen Fei borrowed a line from popular musician Yang Naiwen's representative song "The Sky is Full of Stars" to name the work. Combined with the song, the details laid out layer by layer in the picture seem to have a new explanation: Why are men buried underground? Why are his heart, internal organs, eyes, skin, and ears scattered everywhere? What kind of mood is the girl looking at the starry sky? Chen Fei never hesitates to put his own emotions into the paintings, but he also never explains the pictures, allowing the viewers to make up wonderful storylines and specific characters.

In the layout of the elements of the picture, Chen Fei deliberately set up many contradictory and conflicting factors, such as the simple night sky and extremely complicated stars, the dissecting man and the woman wearing a sweater, all of which gave the picture a strong dramatic tension. . In "The Sky is Full of Stars, I Still Only Love the Full Moon", Chen Fei uses his own painting language to express a straightforward and meaningful story about youth, love and various fantasies about Midsummer Night, which is both fresh and romantic.

Lot 36

Huang Yishan(b.1983)
Cook Ding Jie Niu
year 2011
Fabric-covered composite materials
74×92 cm.
display
"Experimental Painting", July 23 to August 31, 2011, Feizi Gallery, Shanghai

Huang Yishan's works emphasize craftsmanship and materiality, and also borrow a large number of images and texts with important model significance in the history of art and culture, grafting them into contemporary situations and spaces. In this work, "The Cook and the Cow", the picture space is divided by precisely calculated coordinate lines composed of continuous parallelograms. Through painstaking detail processing, the images he creates are like a combination of the perspective composition of Chinese paintings and Magritte's surrealism, plus a little bit of Hitchcockian foreshadowing and management of layers of psychological atmosphere. On the surface, his works seem to be obsessed with expressing and narrating the objective material properties of things. In fact, the information the artist wants to convey transcends the physical properties of objects. As the saying goes, the meaning is beyond the words and beyond the painting.

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