.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Luo Zhongli is one of the important artists in the development of contemporary Chinese art in the 1980s. In 1977, Luo Zhongli was enrolled in the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, a time when China was undergoing economic and social reforms, transitioning into a more open-minded society. Trauma, a short story by Lu Xinhua published in a Shanghai newspaper Wenhui, exposed the miseries and disasters of the Cultural Revolution. His literature encouraged people to revisit the values of humanism, rationality and truth that had largely been forsaken during the frenzy of the Cultural Revolution. In 1980, Luo Zhongli created his seminal painting, Father (Fig. 1). This photo-realistic painting instigated the "Scar Art" movement, and also aroused a wave of realistic portrayals seeking to reveal the truth and the nation's forgotten folk life.
The Chinese art world in the 1980s was characterised by portraits of varied styles. The social reform in early 1980s brought dramatic changes to the established values. The awakening self-consciousness and heightened expressionism created a more objective environment. When it came to artistic creation, artists were increasingly interested in the trivialities in life and oridinary people, and developed new perspectives on the narrative of people. The subjects were no longer restricted to revolutionary leaders or heroes. Artists like Luo Zhongli, Zeng Fanzhi, Yue Minjun, Fang Lijun and Liu Wei explored the complex personalities and thoughts of the subjects against this special social background through protraits, which definitly serve as a reflection of the period. Father by Luo is revolutionary in terms of its subject and formal language. Instead of depicting the simple and downto- earth peasants, the painting shook the art world in the 1980s as it presented a new perspective into the complexity and inner thoughts of the peasants, encouraging the viewers to reflect on the past, present and future.
From the Hospital Series to the Mask Series, Zeng Fanzhi's works depicted the distance between people amind the economic boom. As a leading figure of the Cynical Realism, Yue Minjun painted the grotesquely exaggerated laughing faces of himself to highlight pretentious hypocrites trying to survive in the modern world. On the other hand, Swimming Series by Liu Wei comprises protraits of prominent political figures. Bold eroticism is added to challenge the concept of image and turns it into a powerful and ironic slogan.
Father was awarded the National Golden Award, the highest honour in the art scene in China at that time. His work was selected as a permanent collection of the Chinese Art Museum. In the 1980s, Luo dived deeper into the subject of peasants living in Daba Mountain. Executed in 1984, Years (Lot 381) exuded a sense of drama with the rustic cottage and the light in the dusk. There was an old lady relaxingly sitting in front of the house, with a cat sleeping calming on her lap. The tranquil atmosphere of the piece resembled that in Woman Knitting by John Singer Sargent. Luo applied detailed, delicate brushstrokes to depict every string of the old lady's needle-like hair, in contrast with the bright red camellia on her chest. Her silver hair suspending in the air induced a sense of eternity in which time and space froze. These traces of life created a sharp contract with her bright eyes. The humble peasants portrayed by Luo revealed a sense of perseverance. While time changed their appearances, they spirit remains strong. The artist's focus on humanity and its expression is also evident in Silent Snowfield (Lot 382) executed in the 1980s. The bleak landscape of Tibet Highland, which is as remote as Daba Mountain, allows Luo to explore the purest side of humanity. Amid the snow, the heavily clad figure kept his head down, while the two horses with gentle gaze stood by each other, quietly accompanying the silent person.
In 1985, Luo Zhongli was invited to visit the United States while he was studying in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp in Belgium. He held his solo exhibition in Wally Findlay Gallery in New York and Harvard Art Museums, which was widely acclaimed by many people. During his stay in the US, he had received great help and care from his Chinese collector friend. Before he left, Luo gave this painting Years to his friend and it was kept by the family since then.
The breakthroughs Luo underwent in early 1980s not only demonstrated his avant-garde and brave spirit, but also established himself at a key position in Chinese art history. Luo opened up a new path in Chinese art history, inspiring his peers and successors to think critically about the complicated relationship between the individual and society, and to express their independent interpretations of history and truth through art.
The Chinese art world in the 1980s was characterised by portraits of varied styles. The social reform in early 1980s brought dramatic changes to the established values. The awakening self-consciousness and heightened expressionism created a more objective environment. When it came to artistic creation, artists were increasingly interested in the trivialities in life and oridinary people, and developed new perspectives on the narrative of people. The subjects were no longer restricted to revolutionary leaders or heroes. Artists like Luo Zhongli, Zeng Fanzhi, Yue Minjun, Fang Lijun and Liu Wei explored the complex personalities and thoughts of the subjects against this special social background through protraits, which definitly serve as a reflection of the period. Father by Luo is revolutionary in terms of its subject and formal language. Instead of depicting the simple and downto- earth peasants, the painting shook the art world in the 1980s as it presented a new perspective into the complexity and inner thoughts of the peasants, encouraging the viewers to reflect on the past, present and future.
From the Hospital Series to the Mask Series, Zeng Fanzhi's works depicted the distance between people amind the economic boom. As a leading figure of the Cynical Realism, Yue Minjun painted the grotesquely exaggerated laughing faces of himself to highlight pretentious hypocrites trying to survive in the modern world. On the other hand, Swimming Series by Liu Wei comprises protraits of prominent political figures. Bold eroticism is added to challenge the concept of image and turns it into a powerful and ironic slogan.
Father was awarded the National Golden Award, the highest honour in the art scene in China at that time. His work was selected as a permanent collection of the Chinese Art Museum. In the 1980s, Luo dived deeper into the subject of peasants living in Daba Mountain. Executed in 1984, Years (Lot 381) exuded a sense of drama with the rustic cottage and the light in the dusk. There was an old lady relaxingly sitting in front of the house, with a cat sleeping calming on her lap. The tranquil atmosphere of the piece resembled that in Woman Knitting by John Singer Sargent. Luo applied detailed, delicate brushstrokes to depict every string of the old lady's needle-like hair, in contrast with the bright red camellia on her chest. Her silver hair suspending in the air induced a sense of eternity in which time and space froze. These traces of life created a sharp contract with her bright eyes. The humble peasants portrayed by Luo revealed a sense of perseverance. While time changed their appearances, they spirit remains strong. The artist's focus on humanity and its expression is also evident in Silent Snowfield (Lot 382) executed in the 1980s. The bleak landscape of Tibet Highland, which is as remote as Daba Mountain, allows Luo to explore the purest side of humanity. Amid the snow, the heavily clad figure kept his head down, while the two horses with gentle gaze stood by each other, quietly accompanying the silent person.
In 1985, Luo Zhongli was invited to visit the United States while he was studying in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp in Belgium. He held his solo exhibition in Wally Findlay Gallery in New York and Harvard Art Museums, which was widely acclaimed by many people. During his stay in the US, he had received great help and care from his Chinese collector friend. Before he left, Luo gave this painting Years to his friend and it was kept by the family since then.
The breakthroughs Luo underwent in early 1980s not only demonstrated his avant-garde and brave spirit, but also established himself at a key position in Chinese art history. Luo opened up a new path in Chinese art history, inspiring his peers and successors to think critically about the complicated relationship between the individual and society, and to express their independent interpretations of history and truth through art.