Lot 1026: LIU DAHONG

LIU DAHONG
(Born in 1962)
Academy
signed and dated 'Liu Da Hong; 2000' in Chinese & Pinyin (lower corner) oil on canvas
100 x 100 cm. (39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in.)
Painted in 2000

Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

A recurring motif of China's contemporary art, the Cultural Revolution has been depicted by artists in one way or another, directly, symbolically and metaphorically, over the last three decades. Growing up during this period of history, Liu Dahong portrays its events within his fantasy worlds. In a humorous and sometimes even mocking language, Liu compares the pursuit of the great ideals of the Cultural Revolution to the French Revolution. He glorifies the 'sincerity' of revolution and criticizes the sub-religious insanity. In his complex works, he paints historic figures and events, icons, myths and legends, bits of memory, plots and stories, mortals and immortals. Liu's works are filled with colorful and elaborate details, hidden messages and a fine sense of satirical humor. His style is a comic deviation from the social realist template and is classified as Pop, as his representations lack pathos or anxiety.
Liu's Academy (Lot 1026) depicts a colorful scene with an excess of scattered images. From high up we look into a large, stage-like hall with an internal garden. The distorted, axonometric perspective and lack of proportional accuracy are an important ingredient of the overall humorous scene we encounter: In the very center of the painting, a majestic, fossilized figure dances with a Christian saint, surrounded by a widespread, large and diverse crowd of oddly miniaturized musicians, dancers, political and spiritual leaders, but also the ordinary man and curious onlookers. The central figure may be Cai Yuanpei, an eminent educator and founder of the China Academy of Art that Liu attended in the 1980's. As the crowd mingles in a cheerful get-together, the image of a Roman statue, a symbol for the origin of Western civilization is thrown over the balustrade. Upon closer inspection, we realize that the majority of the characters look back at the viewer with a sneering grin.
With a sophisticated color composition, elaborate details and sensitivity to perspective structures, Liu demonstrates his skills as a painter versed in indigenous classical conventions as well as in socio-political, cross-cultural jesting.