Lot 86: Zhu Wei B. 1966 , China China - M edition

Signed Zhu Wei, This work is the number nine from an edition of twelve Hand-painted fiber glass Condition Note: Zhuwei diary, Hong Kong, Plum Blossoms, 2000, p.386 Paris-Pekin , Paris, Chinese Century, 2002, p.271 We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described in our catalogue. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

measurements note sculpture: 58 by 55 by 34 cm. 22 3/4 by 21 6/8 by 13 3/8 in. base: 66 by 8 by 27.5 cm. 26 by 3 1/8 by 10 3/4 in.

The works of painter and sculptor Zhu Wei, born in 1966, are an exquisite mirror for the output of the entire generation of Chinese contemporary artists to which he belongs. His lyrical subject matter and sophisticated traditional ink-and-wash technique belie an artistic education received at the hands of the People's Liberation Army. And while his subjects is largely the giant, bald headed men that have come to stand in for contemporary Chinese art around the world, unlike some of his contemporaries, charges of "cynical realism" are rarely leveled against him. Zhu Wei's appropriation of orthodox gongbi technique gives pause to critics who point to contemporary Chinese art as a negation of Chinese tradition. Sotheby's is pleased to present a sampling of works by Zhu Wei spanning the range of his output. Two paintings in his signature style highlight the selection, both dating to 2002. These works, entitled "Sketch No. 1" and "Sketch No. 2" (Lots 88 and 89) are character studies, depicting single figures engaged in ordinary actions. "Sketch No. 1" frames a solitary, smoking man, his forehead left deliberately outside the frame. "Sketch No. 2" shows a stouter man deliberately grasping a pair of chopsticks, as a younger figure eating a steamed bun looks on from behind. The subjects of both paintings wear the familiar Zhongshan coats of a socialist China; but instead of the drab grays, blues, and olives of the era from which they appear to come, these garments are rendered in a muted red. His exquisitely carved seals pervade the composition, adding to the contrast between traditional technique and contemporary subject matter. "China Diary-The Oxen No. 53" (Lot 87)points to the depth of Zhu Wei's meditations on ancient Chinese culture. The series of works to which this painting belongs comprises an extended meditation on the Tang dynasty painter Han Huang's (732-787) masterpiece "The Five Oxen," thought to be the earliest extant Chinese painting on paper. Zhu Wei's oxen appear noble and even anthropomorphic, wearing expressions of contentment, puzzlement, fatigue, and wonder. They are all rendered in profile, heads facing left. The present work features a yellow oxen, its head turned back at the viewer in curiosity. Sculpture comprises another significant strand in Zhu Wei's work, represented here by a pair of figures from the artist's "China China" series (Lot 86). While these figures seem to grow out of the paintings that are his first love, they manage to take on a sense of presence at once powerful and playful when rendered in three dimensions. While they refer recognizably to the military leaders under whom the artist spent his formative years, they also meditate abstractly on the visual language of socialism. Something in Zhu Wei's work captures the ambivalent sentiments felt in the West about China's inexorable rise. Perhaps this is why "Sketch No. 1" was used prominently to illustrate a story in the November 19, 2006 special issue of Time Magazine entitled "China's Next Cultural Revolution." And yet one suspects that the artist's response to the use of his work in this context would sound very much like what he told the critic Karen Smith ten years earlier. The artist's words then ring true today: "I don't think people really understand what I'm doing. They are too ready to see nothing more than a political stance. How can I argue against that? There are images of PLA soldiers...and on occasion definite satire, but more important I paint my own world, my own experiences...you only have to open your eyes on any street in Beijing, read the papers watch TV, to see that I'm not painting anything that isn't there for those who choose to see it."[1] [1] Karen Smith, "World Within, World Without," in Zhu Wei , Hebei Educational Press, 2005, p. 33.