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.

The 1980s were characterised by great idealism and hope in the avant garde artistic community that the artists would be able to contribute to the regeneration of Chinese culture. The exhibition of their works at the China National Gallery was the culmination of that decade and signalled to the artists that they had been recognised. The dramatic closure of the exhibition soon after its opening marked the destruction of those goals. The 1990s were characterised by a loss of idealism, a more ironical, a more personal viewpoint and a greater detachment from any regeneration of culture and society - a cold, realistic view of changing Chinese society.

Fang Lijun's Biography

BIOGRAPHY

1963 - Born in Handan, Hebei province, PR China

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 colour and tone requires a separate plate and order of printing. Due to their immense scale, Fang's images are composed on several adjoined scrolls; the elongated strips create both an emotive fragmenting of the image, and create a reference to memory and historical testimony. 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. Executed with painstaking hyper-realism, the clouds formulate as a tempestuous funnel rather than a portal of billowing promise. Contrasted with the kitsch palette and pop rendering of the grotesque cherubs, Fang's painting approaches the sanctity of ideological assurance with an empathetic cynicism.

Fang's practice exhibits a rarefied technical skill rigorously studied through his Social Realist training; his combination of this aesthetic with references to contemporary comics, folk art, and dynastic painting characterise a national identity in flux, distilling a position of integrity from tradition and the modern world. What to Do Next... Fang's practice exhibits a rarefied technical skill rigorously studied through his Social Realist training; his combination of this aesthetic with references to contemporary comics, folk art, and dynastic painting characterise a national identity in flux, distilling a position of integrity from tradition and the modern world. If you want any information about Fang Lijun or looking for his paintings please visit us on http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/fang_lijun.htm

About the Author

View Fang Lijun paintings, biography, solo exhibitions, group exhibitions and resource of Fang Lijun. View art online at The Saatchi Gallery - London contemporary art gallery. Fang Lijun