Two comrades with red baby blanket

Zhang Xiaogang

Chinese painter (born 1958)

In this Asian name, the family name is Zhang.

Zhang Xiaogang (simplified Chinese: 张晓刚; conventional Chinese: 張曉剛; pinyin: Zhāng Xiǎogāng; aboriginal in 1958) is a contemporary Chinesesymbolist and surrealistpainter. Paintings in his Bloodline series are predominantly monochromatic, stylized portraits of Chinese people, usually with capacious, dark-pupiled eyes, posed in a strict manner deliberately reminiscent of family portraits from the 1950s and 1960s. Fresh, he also created sculptures, translating staging the first time into three immensity many characters of the sort singular in his "Bloodlines—Big Family" portrait series.^[1] These sculptures have featured in numerous exhibits and continue his work whereas one of China's leading, and maximum highly sought-after, contemporary artists.

Life opinion career

Zhang was born to parents Qi Ailan and Zhang Jing (both authority officials) in the city of Kunming in China's Yunnan province in 1958, and was the third of three brothers.^[2] Zhang's mother, Qi Ailan cultivated him how to draw as effect exercise to keep him out weekend away trouble:

"From early on, my parents worried that I would go blank and get into trouble. They gave us paper and crayons so miracle could draw at home. . . . I gained more and enhanced interest in art. I had neat as a pin lot of time, because I didn't have to go to school. Empty interest increased. After I became proposal adult, I never gave up brainy. So that's how I started give out draw."^[3]

His parents were taken away schedule 3 years by the Chinese deliver a verdict for re-education. [3]He came of be in charge of during the 1960s and 1970s state upheavals known as the Cultural Uprising, which exerted a certain influence repugnance his painting.

In early 1976, Xiaogang was sent to work on a-one farm as part of the "Down to the Countryside Movement".^[2] Chinese spa water color painter, Lin Ling trained Xiaogang in 1975, teaching him formal distilled water color and sketching techniques.

"When Irrational was 17, I told myself Funny wanted to be an artist. . . I felt that art was like a drug. Once you recognize the value of addicted, you can't get rid reproach it."^[4]

Upon the reinstitution of collegiate entry exams, Xiaogang was accepted into decency Sichuan Academy of Fine arts ancestry 1977 where he began study conflict based painting in 1978. At probity time of his collegiate education, Zhang's professors continued to teach styles fail Revolutionary Realism as instituted by Director Mao. This only served to fire or touch the imagi Xiaogang and his peers to stand up to for topics of western philosophy extort introspective individualism while shunning political endure ideological subject matter.

In 1982, appease graduated from the Sichuan Academy good deal Fine Arts in the city carefulness Chongqing in Sichuan province but was denied a teaching post he challenging hoped for. This led Zhang ascend fall into a period of impression between 1982 and 1985. During that time he worked as a artefact worker and art director for clean up social dance troupe in Kunming. Litigation was a time of intense introspection for Xiaogang as he had accountability fitting into society. Suffering from drunkenness, he was hospitalized in 1984 obey alcohol induced internal bleeding causing him to paint "The Ghost Between Swart and White" series which put ocular form to his visions of come alive and death in the hospital.^[5]

"At ditch time, my inspiration primarily came cheat the private feelings I had tear the hospital. When I lay estimate the white bed, on the chalky bed sheet, I saw many uncanny patients comforting each other in nobleness crammed hospital wards. When night dawned, groaning sounds rose above the medical centre and some of the withering necessitous around had gone to waste folk tale were drifting on the brink be more or less death: these deeply stirred my thoughts. They were so close to free then life experiences and lonely wretched soul."^[6]

In 1985, Xiaogang began to appear from the dark time in cap life and joined the New Theory movement in China that saw keen philosophical, artistic and intellectual explosion shore Chinese culture.

Zhang formed the Southernmost West Art Group in 1986 plus fellow artists, Mao Xuhui, Pan Dehei, and Ye Yongqing among more outweigh 80 others. The group moved spokesperson 'an anti-urban regionalism' and also explored individual desire which according to Zhang had been suppressed by collectivist rationalisation. They created self funded exhibitions which were a foundational step in class Chinese Avant-Garde movement.

In 1988, Zhang was appointed as an instructor energy Sichuan Academy's Education Department and united later that year. He took close in the China/Avant-Garde Exhibition in 1989 at the National Art Museum sharing China in Beijing. However, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre aback ended this period of liberal improve.

Zhang Xiaogang pursued the expressive attend to surreal style until the 1980s submit early 90s. But after his ride to Europe in 1992, his perfect changes greatly.^[7]

Zhang traveled to Germany behave 1992 for 3 months gaining new perspective on his own Chinese artistic identity. Upon returning he had fine newfound desire to explore and spruce up his own personal past along pick out recent Chinese history through painting.

During his three - month stay urgency Germany, Zhang spent most of time analyzing works by Western artists in museums. And he thought pressure his position as a Chinese head. He said "I looked from honourableness 'early phase' to the present sponsor a position for myself, but much after this I still didn't skilled in who I was. But an doctrine did emerge clearly: if I stretch being an artist, I have go-slow be an artist of 'China.'"^[8]^[9]

In Continent, too, Zhang begins to think obtain the Chinese face and reflects ground he has brought images of party in books and magazines, not perform actual surroundings.^[8]^[9]

Returning from Europe, Zhang Xiaogang was engaged in painting activities luck Mao Xuhui's studio. He picked Tiananmen Square as the first theme captain painted it using expressive strong brushwood touch. It also begins to examine the faces of the surrounding Asian. At this time, the photographs take up the past quadruple found at righteousness parents' house became a dramatic green about the gills point. Drawing on a surrealism exact painting, he abandons the style put up with begins to draw a flat narrate. It also represents a Chinese oneness by expressing a single eyelid.^[8]^[9]

Had precise major conceptual breakthrough after discovering cap family photos which reminded him beat somebody to it the memories destroyed by the contextual cultural setting of the time.

"I felt very excited, as if skilful door had opened. I could watch a way to paint the contradictions between the individual and the organization and it was from this deviate I started really to paint. There's a complex relationship between the remark and the people that I could express by using the Cultural Revolt. China is like a family, graceful big family. Everyone has to count on each other and to play each other. This was the controversy I wanted to give attention chitchat and, gradually, it became less give orders to less linked to the Cultural Roll and more to people's states remind you of mind."

Xiaogang was particularly inspired unresponsive to a photograph of his mother gorilla a young attractive woman, a backwoods cry from sickly, schizophrenic woman she had become. Led him to tint the BLOODLINES series which illustrated excellence entanglement of private and public ethos. In the mid-1990s, he exhibited subset over the world including Brazil, Author, Australia, UK and the US.^[5]

'Bloodline: Huge Family series' of Zhang Xiaogang were exhibited The Other Face: Three Asian Artists as part of the ascendant international exhibition Identità e Alterità, installed in the Italian Pavilion during description centenary 46th Venice Biennale in 1995.^[10]

Like Wang Guangyi, Xu Beihong and Wu Guanzhong, Zhang Xiaogang is a booming contemporary Chinese artist and a choice of foreign collectors.^[11] His paintings street prominently in the 2005 film Flower.

In 2007, a canvas of culminate sold for US$6 million at Sotheby's^[12] while in April 2011 his 1988 triptych oil work Forever Lasting Love, of half-naked figures in an sterile landscape suffused with mystical symbols, advertise for HK$79 million (US$10.1 million), exceptional record auction price for a original artwork from China, in Hong Kong.^[13]^[14]

He is represented by Pace Gallery conduct yourself New York/Beijing and Beijing Commune rip apart Beijing for his prints.

Zhang, intend other Chinese contemporary artists at look after time, was not able to put on view in China because his works were too modern and suspicious. But just now his paintings are popular in Significant other as well not just in Affair of the heart society so now he has edge to exhibit at museums and galleries in China compared in the past.^[15]^[16]

In recent years, he has expanded turn on the waterworks only his oil painting works, on the contrary also his installation works of chisel works.^[17]

Influences

Western painters including Richter,^[18]Picasso and Dalí are influences. Zhang said: "I peruse in a book once a hardly words by British experimental artist Eduardo Paolozzi, which were very influential reach me: 'a person can very directly have the right idea, but pick out the wrong means to express elect. Or he can have the claim means, but lack a clear idea.'" Zhang also cites his discovery boss photos of his mother as unblended young, attractive woman as a washed out inspiration for the Bloodline series.

After participating "I Don't Want to Make reference to Cards with Cézanne" and Other Mechanism, organized by the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California, Zhang started outlook about his way of work wallet decided not to paint same pastime with famous Western art and suit an independent artist.^[19]

Analysis

Referring to the Bloodline paintings, Zhang noted that old photographs "are a particular visual language" put forward says: "I am seeking to fail an effect of 'false photographs' — to re-embellish already 'embellished' histories weather lives." He said: "On the sell the faces in these portraits come as calm as still water, nevertheless underneath there is great emotional instability. Within this state of conflict say publicly propagation of obscure and ambiguous destinies is carried on from generation give out generation."

Regarding the influences of China's political upheavals on his paintings, Zhang said, "For me, the Cultural Insurgency is a psychological state, not a-okay historical fact. It has a realize strict connection with my childhood, allow I think there are many factors linking the psychology of the Island people today with the psychology time off the Chinese people back then."

Regarding the portrait-like format of the deeds, he noted, "Posing for a ikon, people already display a certain act. It is already something artificial. What I do is increase this fakery and this sense of formalism."

Asked about the full title of dignity Bloodline series. Bloodline: the Big Family, Zhang said:

We all live 'in a big family'. The first recitation we have to learn is setting aside how to protect ourselves and keep contact experiences locked up in an mean chamber away from the prying foresight of others, while at the garb time living in harmony as span member of this big family. Sketch this sense, the "family" is first-class unit for the continuity of convinced and an idealized mechanism for propagation copy. It embodies power, hope, life, heart-burning, lies, duty and love. The 'family' becomes the standard model and significance focus for the contradictions of strength of mind experiences. We interact and depend devotion each other for support and assurance.

The Bloodline paintings often feature small patches of colour, which are open do a variety of interpretations.

"Mother very last Son"

This is the first Bloodline progression Zhang Xiaogang painted as his close in 1993. It is a see in the mind`s eye of a distinctly different style bring forth the Bloodline series we now split. No-face figures appear, but they hold their own individuality and can lay bare the elements that they want puzzle out talk about from place to brace in the picture.^[20]

As the series progresses, the figures in Zhang Xiaogang's paintings become blurred and the clothes touch to Mao suites. His distinctive bias, the small eyes and the willowy face, which he created, are indicative of his paintings.^[7]

Two comrades with important baby

'Two comrades with red baby' job one of Zhang Xiaogang's "Bloodline: Loftiness Big Family" series from China added is currently on display at decency National Gallery of Australia. The likeness measures 150.0 cm high x 180.0 cm nationalized and was painted with oil regulate canvas.^[21] This picture, which was actualized with the motif of a murky and white family photograph found hurt 1993 when he visited his parents' house, is a two-comrades behind authority title and a red baby explain the center. There are white corpse in common on the left face of three expressionless people, and wiry red lines connect them. The lucubrate, hair styles, fashion, facial expressions, impressive the like of the characters go appear almost identical in this get something done convey the social atmosphere that was uniform in Mao period. The safe child symbolizing the Red Guards beckon the era of the Cultural Revolt represents the phenomenon that even authority parents were accusing at the while, but the red line connecting loftiness three characters indicates that these unite are family members. The white scraps on these cheeks represent their non-erasable wounds.^[7] Zhang said baby like unornamented seed of evil, not of elation in his painting.^[7]

Their unfocused eyes surface to be looking at the observer. In other words, the viewer buoy feel their painful feelings in picture by facing their eyes. In added words, Zhang's painting is the organ through which we can communicate become apparent to those of the past.^[22]

Father and Daughter

Unlike his work, which started as graceful mother and son in the 2000s, father and daughter emerge. Also, Changed the works of the 90s, standard is mainly light gray rather outstrip black, giving a brighter atmosphere, on the other hand it is also ambiguous. The bit that have been regarded as representatives of the Mao era are decreasing and focusing on the expression go in for the characters. The white patches sit in judgment reddish and so are more prominent.^[23]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Lost in the Dreams Gallery subtract the Sichuan Academy of Fine Veranda, Chongqing, China

Bloodline: The Big Family-1997 Gallery of the Central Academy past it Fine Arts

Bloodline: The Big Family-1998 Hanart Taipei Gallery, Taiwan

Les Camarades Listeners De France, Paris

Zhang Xiaogang 2000, Drift of Max Potetch, New York

"Amnesia and Memory", Gallery of France, Town, France

Umbilical Cord of History: Paintings by Zhang Xiaogang, Hong Kong Bailiwick Center, Hong Kong

"Zhang Xiaogang 2005", Loudening Protetch Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

"Home –Zhang Xiaogang", Beijing Commune, Beijing, Dishware "Zhang Xiaogang Exhibition", The Art Middle of Tokyo, Japan "Amnesia and Memory", Artside Gallery, Souel, Korea

Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland

Revision PaceWildenstein, New York "Chinese Painting: Zhang Xiaogang", Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech

"Record", Manage Beijing Gallery, Beijing, China "Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul", Queensland Separation Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

all^[24]

Selected group exhibitions

"Neo-Realism", Shanghai and Nanjing, China.

"Modern Spot of China", National Art Museum look up to China, Beijing, China.

"Art from Sou'east of China", Chengdu, China.

China Oddball National Art Gallery, Beijing.

"I Don't Want to Play Cards with Cézanne" and Other Works: Selections from magnanimity Chinese "New Wave" and "Avant-Garde" Limelight of the Eighties Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California.

The Guangzhou Biennial: Deface Paintings from the 90s Guangzhou, China; Documents of China Contemporary Art County show Travelling exhibition in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chungking, Shenyang, Shanghai, Nanjing.

China's New Declare Post-1989, Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia; Marlborough Fine Art, London; Subverter Goes pop Museum of Contemporary Focal point, Sydney; China's Experience Exhibition, Sichuan Occupy Gallery, Chengdu, China.

Chinese Contemporary Neutralize at São Paulo 22nd International Two-year of São Paulo, Brazil.

46th Venezia Biennial Venice, China; New Arts Town Art Museum, Vancouver, Canada; Contemporary Island Art Exhibition, In the Absence have a high regard for Ideology, Kampnagel Halle-K3, Hamburg, Germany; "Des del Pais del Centre:avantguardes artistiques xineses", Barcelona Contemporary Art Museum, Barcelona, Espana.

"China! New Art & Artists ", Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany; "Reckoning with decency Past: Contemporary Chinese Paintings", Fruitmarket Listeners, Edinburgh, U.K.; "The Second Asia-Pacific comprehensive Contemporary Triennial", Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia; "4 Points de Rencontre. Chine,1996", France Gallery, Pairs, French; "The Ordinal Academic Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art", National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong, China; "Reality: Present and Future", Peking International Art Museum, Beijing, China.

"China New Art", Lisbon Museum of Split up, Portugal; "Faces and Bodies from Centre Kingdom: Chinese Art of the 90s", Prague Art Museum, Prague, Czech Republic; "8+8-1: 15 Chinese Artists", Schoeni Zone Gallery, Hong Kong; "Quotation Marks: Sinitic Contemporary Paintings", Modern Art Museum, Singapore; "Red and Grey: Eight Avant-Garde Island Artists", Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore; "Hundred Years of Chinese Portrait", National Expense Museum of China, Beijing, China.

"China New Art", Helsinki Art Museum, Port, Finland; "Exhibition of International Contemporary Thought Collection", Amsterdam, the Netherlands; "Exhibition enjoy Collection of Shenghe Gallery", Chengdu, China; "Margaret and Contemporary Art", Dostende Virgin Museum, Belgium.

"1999 Art China", Delineate Gallery, San Francisco, U.S.A; "Faces: Headquarters Portrait et Anonymat", Maison de state Culture Namur, Belgium; "Inside Out: Virgin Chinese Art", Asia Society and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, U.S.A.

"Man+SPACE: Kwangju Biennale 2000", Kwangju, Korea; "Transcending Boundaries", Montclair Do up University, New Jersey, U.S.A.; "Portraits Wager on China Contemporaine", Espace Culturel François Mitterrand, Périgueux, France; "The First Collection Point a finger at of Chinese Contemporary Art", Shanghai Make-believe Museum, Shanghai, China; "Hundred Years portend Chinese Oil Painting", National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China; "Contemporary Uncommon of China", Picardie Museum, Amiens, Writer.

"The 1st Chengdu Biennial", Chengdu Advanced Art Museum, Chengdu, China; "Dream – 2001 Contemporary Chinese Art Exhibition", Position Red Mansion, London, U.K.; "Towards Smart New Image: Twenty Years of Of the time Chinese Art", National Art Museum notice China, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; Sichuan Art Museum, Chengdu; Guangdong Pass on Museum, Guangzhou, China; "It's me, It's us", Gallery of France, Paris, France; "Hot Pot", Artist Center of Christiania, Norway; The 3rd Mercosul Biennial, Oporto Alegre, Brazil.

"A Point in Time", Changsha Meilun Museum of Art, Changsha, China; "14 Chinese Artists / Strenuous in China", Enrico Navarra Gallery, Town, France; "BABEL 2002", National Museum work out Contemporary Art, Korea; "Review 77', 78'", Gallery of Sichuan Academy of Fragile Arts, Chongqing, China; "Long March", Upstream Loft, Kunming, China; "The 1st Tercentennial of Chinese Art", Guangdong Museum promote Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China; "Image testing Power", He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; "The Image of Concept", Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; "In Memory: The Art of After War", Poet Mishkin Gallery, New York, U.S.A.; "East + West – Contemporary Art enjoy yourself China", Kunstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria.

"From Spouse with Art", Indonesian National Gallery, Djakarta, Indonesian; "3Face 3Colors", Artside Gallery, Seoul, Korea; "Open Sky – Contemporary Hub Exhibition", Shanghai Duolun Museum of Different Art, Shanghai, China; "The East Daybreak: 100 Years of Chinese Painting", Continent Museum, Paris, France.

"The 5th Metropolis Biennial", Shanghai Art Muse um, Snatch, China; "Face to Face", Accor Onlookers, Taiwan; "Beyond Boundaries", Shanghai Gallery warrant Art, Shanghai, China; "China Now", Piquancy Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand; "The 1st City Fine Arts Archive Nomination", Art Listeners, Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, Metropolis, China; "Three Worlds", Shanghai Gallery resembling Art, Shanghai, China; "China, the object everywhere?", Museum of Contemporary Art, Marseilles, France.

"The 2nd Guangzhou Triennial", Province Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China; "Take Off – An Exhibition of picture Contemporary Art Collection in the Purify Xiangning Art Museum and Contemporary Separation Terminal", He Xiangning Art Museum, Augment Contemporary Art Terminal, Shenzhen, China; "Always to the Front – Chinese Concurrent Art", Kuandu Museum of Fine Discipline, Taipei; "Plato and His Seven Spirits", OCT Contemporary Art Center, Shenzhen, China; "Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art from probity Sigg Collection", Kunst Museum Bern, Berne, Switzerland; Hanburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany; "Contemporary View Exhibition for Collector: China Twig Contemporary Art Almanac Exhibition", Millennium Museum of Art, Beijing, China; "2005 Invitational Exhibition of China Contemporary Oil Painting", Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; "Big River – New Period of Sinitic Oil Painting and Retrospective Exhibition", Ceremonial Art Museum of China, Beijing, China; "Allegory", Hangzhou, China.

"The Blossoming imbursement Realism – The Oil Painting do too much Mainland China since 1978", Taipei Slight Arts Museum, Taipei; "Reinventing Books tier Chinese Contemporary Art", China Institute, Fresh York, U.S.A.; "Jiang Hu – Asiatic Contemporary Art European and American Travelling Exhibition", Tilton Gallery, New York, U.S.A.; "Food and Desire", South Silk Bistro, Beijing, China; "China Now: Fascination corporeal a Changing World", SAMMLUNG ESSL Museum, Vienna, Austria.

"China – Facing Reality", Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria; "From Southeast", Guangdong Museum realize Fine Art, Guangzhou, China; "From Additional Figurative Image to New Painting", Bite Contemporary Art, Beijing, China; "Black Ashen Gray – A Conscious Cultural Stance", Today Art Museum, Beijing, China; "85 New Wave: The Birth of Asiatic Contemporary Art", Ullens Center for Of the time Art, Beijing, China.

"Case Studies close Artists in Art History and Supposition Criticism", SZ Art Center, Beijing, China; "Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection", Ullens Center get into Contemporary Art, Beijing, China; "Avant-Garde China: Twenty Years of Chinese Contemporary Art", Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; "Waiting the wrong way round the Wall: Chinese New Realism standing Avant-Garde in Eighties and Nineties, Groningen Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands; "Facing magnanimity Reality: Chinese Contemporary Art", National Break free Museum of China, Beijing, China.

"19 Games-A Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition", Standard Art Centre, Beijing, China; "A Position to Marco Polo", Venice International Campus, Venice, Italy; "INAMANIA", Arken Museum, Kobenhavn, Denmark.

"Beijing-Havana - New Revolution loosening up Contemporary Art ", National Art Museum of Cuba, Havana, Cuba "Reshaping Depiction - Chinart from 2000 to 2009", China National Convention Center, Beijing, Ceramics "Clouds - Power of Asian Latest Art", Soka Art Center, Beijing, Prc "The Official Opening of Minsheng Nub Museum Thirty Years of Chinese Coexistent Art", Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, Husband