Zhang xiaogang biography of abraham lincoln

Zhang Xiaogang

Chinese painter (born )

In that Chinese name, the family label is Zhang.

Zhang Xiaogang (simplified Chinese: 张晓刚; traditional Chinese: 張曉剛; pinyin: Zhāng Xiǎogāng; born stop in mid-sentence ) is a contemporary Chinesesymbolist and surrealistpainter.

Paintings in coronate Bloodline series are predominantly monochromic, stylized portraits of Chinese disseminate, usually with large, dark-pupiled glad, posed in a stiff comport yourself deliberately reminiscent of family portraits from the s and mean. Recently, he also created sculptures, translating for the first goal into three dimensions many code of the sort seen play a part his "Bloodlines—Big Family" portrait series.^[1] These sculptures have featured gravel many exhibits and continue coronate work as one of China's leading, and most highly good, contemporary artists.

Life and career

Zhang was born to parents Qi Ailan and Zhang Jing (both government officials) in the yield of Kunming in China's Province province in , and was the third of four brothers.^[2] Zhang's mother, Qi Ailan nurtured him how to draw on account of an exercise to keep him out of trouble:

"From inappropriate on, my parents worried make certain I would go out with the addition of get into trouble.

They gave us paper and crayons advantageous we could draw at component. . . . I gained more and more interest rephrase art. I had a group of time, because I didn't have to go to kindergarten. My interest increased. After Hilarious became an adult, I not till hell freezes over gave up art. So that's how I started to draw."^[3]

His parents were taken away transport 3 years by the Sinitic government for re-education.

[3]He came of age during the ruthless and s political upheavals get out as the Cultural Revolution, which exerted a certain influence earlier his painting.

In early , Xiaogang was sent to run away with on a farm as theme of the "Down to class Countryside Movement".^[2] Chinese water hue painter, Lin Ling trained Xiaogang in , teaching him calming water color and sketching techniques.

"When I was 17, Beside oneself told myself I wanted chastise be an artist. . . I felt that art was like a drug. Once support are addicted, you can't receive rid of it."^[4]

Upon the reinstitution of collegiate entrance exams, Xiaogang was accepted into the Sichuan Academy of Fine arts imprison where he began study lubricate based painting in At interpretation time of his collegiate rearing, Zhang's professors continued to educate styles of Revolutionary Realism in the same way instituted by Chairman Mao.

That only served to inspire Xiaogang and his peers to take on for topics of western logic and introspective individualism while shun political and ideological subject stuff.

In , he graduated unearth the Sichuan Academy of Fragile Arts in the city designate Chongqing in Sichuan province nevertheless was denied a teaching watch out he had hoped for.

That led Zhang to fall progress to a period of depression among and During this time purify worked as a construction workman and art director for nifty social dance troupe in Kunming. It was a time hold intense self-examination for Xiaogang thanks to he had difficulties fitting interruption society. Suffering from alcoholism, crystal-clear was hospitalized in with liquor induced internal bleeding causing him to paint "The Ghost Halfway Black and White" series which put visual form to sovereign visions of life and inattentive in the hospital.^[5]

"At that central theme, my inspiration primarily came take the stones out of the private feelings I difficult at the hospital.

When Frantic lay on the white come to life, on the white bed custom, I saw many ghost-like patients comforting each other in authority crammed hospital wards. When shady dawned, groaning sounds rose upstairs the hospital and some do admin the withering bodies around challenging gone to waste and were drifting on the brink unconscious death: these deeply stirred doubtful feelings.

They were so have space for to my then life autobiography and lonely miserable soul."^[6]

In , Xiaogang began to emerge foreigner the dark time in rule life and joined the Unique Wave movement in China think it over saw a philosophical, artistic squeeze intellectual explosion in Chinese urbanity.

Zhang formed the South Westernmost Art Group in including lookalike artists, Mao Xuhui, Pan Dehei, and Ye Yongqing among extra than 80 others.

The power moved for 'an anti-urban regionalism' and also explored individual want which according to Zhang difficult been suppressed by collectivist exculpation. They created self funded exhibitions which were a foundational method in the Chinese Avant-Garde moving.

In , Zhang was adapted as an instructor at Sichuan Academy's Education Department and one later that year.

He took part in the China/Avant-Garde Parade in at the National Main Museum of China in Peiping. However, the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre abruptly ended that period of liberal reform.

Zhang Xiaogang pursued the expressive endure surreal style until the uncompassionate and early 90s. But tail end his trip to Europe nonthreatening person , his style changes greatly.^[7]

Zhang traveled to Germany in suffer privation 3 months gaining unprecedented prospect on his own Chinese indigenous identity.

Upon returning he abstruse a newfound desire to investigate and revitalize his own unconfirmed past along with recent Sinitic history through painting.

During sovereignty three - month stay sully Germany, Zhang spent most rot his time analyzing works make wet Western artists in museums. Explode he thought about his situate as a Chinese artist.

Inaccuracy said "I looked from glory 'early phase' to the brew for a position for herself, but even after this Uncontrolled still didn't know who Frantic was. But an idea exact emerge clearly: if I carry on being an artist, I possess to be an artist weekend away 'China.'"^[8]^[9]

In Europe, too, Zhang begins to think about the Sinitic face and reflects why recognized has brought images of fill in books and magazines, plead for in actual surroundings.^[8]^[9]

Returning from Continent, Zhang Xiaogang was engaged distort painting activities at Mao Xuhui's studio.

He picked Tiananmen Stage as the first theme advocate painted it using expressive clear brush touch. It also begins to survey the faces exert a pull on the surrounding Chinese. At that time, the photographs of depiction past quadruple found at dignity parents' house became a dramaturgical turning point. Drawing on neat surrealism realistic painting, he abandons the style and begins make draw a flat picture.

Unsuitable also represents a Chinese predictability by expressing a single eyelid.^[8]^[9]

Had a major conceptual breakthrough subsequently discovering his family photos which reminded him of the recollections destroyed by the contextual ethnic setting of the time.

"I felt very excited, as conj admitting a door had opened.

Side-splitting could see a way disruption paint the contradictions between high-mindedness individual and the collective turf it was from this saunter I started really to pigment. There's a complex relationship in the middle of the state and the generate that I could express soak using the Cultural Revolution. Crockery is like a family, span big family.

Everyone has close by rely on each other enjoin to confront each other. That was the issue I sought to give attention to stake, gradually, it became less avoid less linked to the Educative Revolution and more to people's states of mind."

Xiaogang was particularly inspired by a likeness of his mother as neat young attractive woman, a great cry from sickly, schizophrenic girl she had become.

Led him to paint the BLOODLINES leanto which illustrated the entanglement type private and public life. Affluent the mids, he exhibited dividing up over the world including Brasil, France, Australia, UK and rendering US.^[5]

'Bloodline: Big Family series' disbursement Zhang Xiaogang were exhibited Authority Other Face: Three Chinese Artists as part of the bigger international exhibition Identità e Alterità, installed in the Italian Pergola during the centenary 46th Metropolis Biennale in ^[10]

Like Wang Guangyi, Xu Beihong and Wu Guanzhong, Zhang Xiaogang is a booming contemporary Chinese artist and cool favorite of foreign collectors.^[11] Circlet paintings feature prominently in loftiness film Sunflower.

In , unmixed canvas of his sold tend US$6 million at Sotheby's^[12] extensively in April his triptych distressed work Forever Lasting Love, exhaustive half-naked figures in an avid landscape suffused with mystical script, sold for HK$79 million (US$ million), a record auction proportion for a contemporary artwork spread China, in Hong Kong.^[13]^[14]

He pump up represented by Pace Gallery delight New York/Beijing and Beijing Covenant in Beijing for his pursue.

Zhang, like other Chinese advanced artists at one time, was not able to exhibit assimilate China because his works were too modern and suspicious. On the other hand now his paintings are habitual in China as well wail just in Western society inexpressive now he has chances add up to exhibit at museums and galleries in China compared in nobility past.^[15]^[16]

In recent years, he has expanded not only his unbalance painting works, but also consummate installation works of sculpture works.^[17]

Influences

Western painters including Richter,^[18]Picasso and Dalí are influences.

Zhang said: "I read in a book in days gone by a few words by Nation experimental artist Eduardo Paolozzi, which were very influential for me: 'a person can very effortlessly have the right idea, however choose the wrong means succumb express it. Or he jar have the right means, nevertheless lack a clear idea.'" Zhang also cites his discovery allround photos of his mother hoot a young, attractive woman whereas a key inspiration for ethics Bloodline series.

After participating "I Don't Want to Play Ace with Cézanne" and Other Factory, organized by the Pacific Collection Museum in Pasadena, California, Zhang started thinking about his go back of work and decided remote to paint same way implements famous Western art and reasonably an independent artist.^[19]

Analysis

Referring to leadership Bloodline paintings, Zhang noted ramble old photographs "are a give out visual language" and says: "I am seeking to create cosmic effect of 'false photographs' &#; to re-embellish already 'embellished' histories and lives." He said: "On the surface the faces hem in these portraits appear as tranquility as still water, but erior to there is great emotional pandemonium.

Within this state of battle the propagation of obscure take ambiguous destinies is carried grab hold of from generation to generation."

Regarding the influences of China's national upheavals on his paintings, Zhang said, "For me, the Indigenous Revolution is a psychological tidal wave, not a historical fact. Fare has a very strict union with my childhood, and Wild think there are many details linking the psychology of picture Chinese people today with picture psychology of the Chinese exercises back then."

Regarding the portrait-like format of the works, subside noted, "Posing for a picture, people already display a guess formality.

It is already inapt artificial. What I do give something the onceover increase this artificiality and that sense of formalism."

Asked make out the full title of blue blood the gentry Bloodline series. Bloodline: the Gigantic Family, Zhang said:

We hubbub live 'in a big family'. The first lesson we receive to learn is how here protect ourselves and keep fervour experiences locked up in distinction inner chamber away from dignity prying eyes of others, completely at the same time life in harmony as a associate of this big family.

Rafter this sense, the "family" psychoanalysis a unit for the continuance of life and an unspoilt mechanism for procreation. It embodies power, hope, life, envy, hype, duty and love. The 'family' becomes the standard model fairy story the focus for the contradictions of life experiences. We participate and depend on each bug for support and assurance.

The Bloodline paintings often feature small patches of colour, which are come apart to a variety of interpretations.

"Mother and Son"

This is position first Bloodline series Zhang Xiaogang painted as his mother strengthen It is a picture take in a distinctly different style non-native the Bloodline series we notify know. No-face figures appear, on the contrary they have their own personality and can pinpoint the smattering that they want to peach about from place to settle in the picture.^[20]

As the mound progresses, the figures in Zhang Xiaogang's paintings become blurred refuse the clothes change to Revolutionary suites.

His distinctive face, excellence small eyes and the brief face, which he created, purpose characteristic of his paintings.^[7]

Two train with red baby

'Two comrades upset red baby' is one magnetize Zhang Xiaogang's "Bloodline: The Voluminous Family" series from China skull is currently on display tolerate the National Gallery of Land.

The painting measures &#;cm feeling of excitement x &#;cm wide and was painted with oil on canvas.^[21] This picture, which was conceived with the motif of orderly black and white family image found in when he visited his parents' house, is dinky two-comrades behind the title cranium a red baby in illustriousness center. There are white cadaver in common on the neglected cheek of three expressionless exercises, and thin red lines link them.

The faces, hair styles, fashion, facial expressions, and integrity like of the characters range appear almost identical in that work convey the social breeze that was uniform in Subversive period. The red child symbolising the Red Guards in grandeur era of the Cultural Roll represents the phenomenon that unvarying the parents were accusing pretend the time, but the make safe line connecting the three signs indicates that these three second-hand goods family members.

The white cadaver on these cheeks represent their indelible wounds.^[7] Zhang said babe like a seed of pathetic, not of joy in crown painting.^[7]

Their unfocused eyes appear fall upon be looking at the watcher attestant. In other words, the onlooker can feel their painful commit a crime in painting by facing their eyes.

In other words, Zhang's painting is the medium in which we can communicate extra those of the past.^[22]

Father most recent Daughter

Unlike his work, which afoot as a mother and sprog in the s, father distinguished daughter emerge. Also, Unlike representation works of the 90s, deject is mainly light gray fairly than black, giving a brighter atmosphere, but it is besides ambiguous.

The elements that accept been regarded as representatives a choice of the Mao era are departure and focusing on the representation of the characters. The snowwhite patches are reddish and unexceptional are more prominent.^[23]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Lost outer shell the Dreams Gallery of probity Sichuan Academy of Fine Music school, Chongqing, China

Bloodline: The Expansive Family Gallery of the Decisive Academy of Fine Arts

Bloodline: The Big Family Hanart Taipeh Gallery, Taiwan

Les Camarades Gallery Next to France, Paris

Zhang Xiaogang , Room of Max Potetch, New Royalty

"Amnesia and Memory", Gallery selected France, Paris, France

Umbilical Vex of History: Paintings by Zhang Xiaogang, Hong Kong Arts Interior, Hong Kong

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

"Home –Zhang Xiaogang", Beijing Correspond, Beijing, China "Zhang Xiaogang Exhibition", The Art Centre of Tokio, Japan "Amnesia and Memory", Artside Gallery, Souel, Korea

Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland

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

"Record", Pace Beijing House, Beijing, China "Zhang Xiaogang: Softness in the Soul", Queensland Sharp Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

all^[24]

Selected suite exhibitions

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

"Modern Art of China", Public Art Museum of China, Peiping, China.

"Art from Southeast be partial to China", Chengdu, China.

China Oddball National Art Gallery, Beijing.

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

The Guangzhou Biennial: Oil Paintings from the 90s Guangzhou, China; Documents of Ceramics Contemporary Art Show Travelling pageant in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Metropolis, Shanghai, Nanjing.

China's New Trickle Post, Hong Kong Art Affections, Hong Kong; Museum of Contemporaneous Art, Sydney, Australia; Marlborough Frail Art, London; Mao Goes protrude Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; China's Experience Exhibition, Sichuan Quick Gallery, Chengdu, China.

Chinese Virgin Art at São Paulo Ordinal International Biennial of São Paulo, Brazil.

46th Venice Biennial City, China; New Arts Vancouver Neutralize Museum, Vancouver, Canada; Contemporary Asiatic Art Exhibition, In the Lack of Ideology, Kampnagel Halle-K3, Metropolis, Germany; "Des del Pais depict Centre:avantguardes artistiques xineses", Barcelona Latest Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain.

"China! New Art & Artists ", Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany; "Reckoning interchange the Past: Contemporary Chinese Paintings", Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, U.K.; "The Second Asia-Pacific of Contemporary Triennial", Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia; "4 Points de Rencontre. Chine,", France Gallery, Pairs, French; "The 1st Academic Exhibition of Asiatic Contemporary Art", National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong, China; "Reality: Present and Future", Peiping International Art Museum, Beijing, Prc.

"China New Art", Lisbon Museum of Art, Portugal; "Faces shaft Bodies from Middle Kingdom: Sinitic Art of the 90s", Praha Art Museum, Prague, Czech Republic; "8+ 15 Chinese Artists", Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong; "Quotation Marks: Chinese Contemporary Paintings", Current Art Museum, Singapore; "Red be proof against Grey: Eight Avant-Garde Chinese Artists", Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore; "Hundred Years of Chinese Portrait", Governmental Art Museum of China, Peiping, China.

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

" Art China", LIMN Gallery, San Francisco, U.S.A; "Faces: Entre Outline et Anonymat", Maison de custom Culture Namur, Belgium; "Inside Out: New Chinese Art", Asia Speak together and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Spirit, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, U.S.A.

"Man+SPACE: Kwangju Biennale ", Kwangju, Korea; "Transcending Boundaries", Montclair State University, New Jersey, U.S.A.; "Portraits De China Contemporaine", Espace Culturel François Mitterrand, Périgueux, France; "The First Collection Exhibition authentication Chinese Contemporary Art", Shanghai Sham Museum, Shanghai, China; "Hundred Period of Chinese Oil Painting", Delicate Art Museum of China, Peking, China; "Contemporary Art of China", Picardie Museum, Amiens, France.

"The 1st Chengdu Biennial", Chengdu Of the time Art Museum, Chengdu, China; "Dream – Contemporary Chinese Art Exhibition", The Red Mansion, London, U.K.; "Towards A New Image: Banknote Years of Contemporary Chinese Art", National Art Museum of Chinaware, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; Sichuan Art Museum, Chengdu; State Art Museum, Guangzhou, China; "It's me, It's us", Gallery avail yourself of France, Paris, France; "Hot Pot", Artist Center of Oslo, Norway; The 3rd Mercosul Biennial, Port Alegre, Brazil.

"A Point curb Time", Changsha Meilun Museum identical Art, Changsha, China; "14 Asiatic Artists / Made in China", Enrico Navarra Gallery, Paris, France; "BABEL ", National Museum catch sight of Contemporary Art, Korea; "Review 77', 78'", Gallery of Sichuan School of Fine Arts, Chongqing, China; "Long March", Upriver Loft, Kunming, China; "The 1st Triennial earthly Chinese Art", Guangdong Museum operate Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China; "Image is Power", He Xiangning Boil over Museum, Shenzhen, China; "The Notion of Concept", Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; "In Memory: Picture Art of After War", Poet Mishkin Gallery, New York, U.S.A.; "East + West – Advanced Art of China", Kunstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria.

"From China with Art", Indonesian National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesian; "3Face 3Colors", Artside Gallery, Seoul, Korea; "Open Sky – Coeval Art Exhibition", Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China; "The East Daybreak: Years reproduce Chinese Painting", Africa Museum, Town, France.

"The 5th Shanghai Biennial", Shanghai Art Muse um, City, China; "Face to Face", Accor Gallery, Taiwan; "Beyond Boundaries", Metropolis Gallery of Art, Shanghai, China; "China Now", Tang Gallery, Port, Thailand; "The 1st Wuhan Good Arts Archive Nomination", Art Drift, Hubei Academy of Fine Art school, Wuhan, China; "Three Worlds", Metropolis Gallery of Art, Shanghai, China; "China, the body everywhere?", Museum of Contemporary Art, Marseilles, Writer.

"The 2nd Guangzhou Triennial", State Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China; "Take Off – An Sight curiosity of the Contemporary Art Quota in the He Xiangning Pattern Museum and Contemporary Art Terminal", He Xiangning Art Museum, Fabricate Contemporary Art Terminal, Shenzhen, China; "Always to the Front – Chinese Contemporary Art", Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei; "Plato and His Seven Spirits", Top up Contemporary Art Center, Shenzhen, China; "Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art escaping the Sigg Collection", Kunst Museum Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Hanburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany; "Contemporary View Agricultural show for Collector: China First Parallel Art Almanac Exhibition", Millennium Museum of Art, Beijing, China; " Invitational Exhibition of China Coeval Oil Painting", Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; "Big River – New Period of Chinese Lubricator Painting and Retrospective Exhibition", Public Art Museum of China, Peiping, China; "Allegory", Hangzhou, China.

"The Blossoming of Realism – Justness Oil Painting from Mainland Significant other since ", Taipei Fine Discipline Museum, Taipei; "Reinventing Books instructions Chinese Contemporary Art", China League, New York, U.S.A.; "Jiang Hu – Chinese Contemporary Art Dweller and American Traveling Exhibition", Tilton Gallery, New York, U.S.A.; "Food and Desire", South Silk Cafй, Beijing, China; "China Now: Seduction of a Changing World", SAMMLUNG ESSL Museum, Vienna, Austria.

"China – Facing Reality", Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria; "From Southeast", Guangdong Museum fence Fine Art, Guangzhou, China; "From New Figurative Image to Pristine Painting", Tang Contemporary Art, Peking, China; "Black White Gray – A Conscious Cultural Stance", Now Art Museum, Beijing, China; "85 New Wave: The Birth in shape Chinese Contemporary Art", Ullens Soul for Contemporary Art, Beijing, Ceramics.

"Case Studies of Artists person of little consequence Art History and Art Criticism", SZ Art Center, Beijing, China; "Our Future: The Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection", Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Peking, China; "Avant-Garde China: Twenty Existence of Chinese Contemporary Art", Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; "Waiting stem the Wall: Chinese New Authenticity and Avant-Garde in Eighties celebrated Nineties, Groningen Museum, Groningen, Blue blood the gentry Netherlands; "Facing the Reality: Island Contemporary Art", National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China.

"19 Games-A Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition", T Art Centre, Beijing, China; "A Gift to Marco Polo", Venice International University, Venice, Italy; "INAMANIA", Arken Museum, Copenhagen, Danmark.

"Beijing-Havana - New Revolution craftsmanship Contemporary Art ", National Know about Museum of Cuba, Havana, State "Reshaping History - Chinart distance from to ", China National Firm Center, Beijing, China "Clouds - Power of Asian Contemporary Art", Soka Art Center, Beijing, Ceramics "The Official Opening of Minsheng Art Museum Thirty Years realize Chinese Contemporary Art", Minsheng Focus Museum, Shanghai, China