Beschreibung:

Fang Lijun 2004.3.7 2004 Acrylic on linen. 31 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (80 x 40 cm). Signed and titled lower right “2004.3.7” and signed and titled again on the reverse.
Provenance Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin Exhibited National Gallery Jakarta, Fang Lijun-- Life is Now: Nature, Water and human being, Works from 1993-2006, May 10- 18, 2006, p. 95 (illustrated) Literature CP Foundation, eds., Fang Lijun-- Life is Now: Nature, Water and human being, Works from 1993-2006, p. 95 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay “[My paintings] explore human memory and obliviousness. I have strong feeling that many things have happened and exert influence in our lives, but we are unaware of them. There are things we want to grasp, and there are things whose existence we are not conscious of. I hope to express this in my paintings, but it is very difficult. The easiest thing to do in a painting is to depict a specific situation. It is much harder to evoke a discussion on this kind of topic. Carrying out these ideas is difficult and may not always be successful. But I still strive hard to achieve this. It is not necessary to achieve perfection in every piece of work.” (Fang Lijun as quoted in L. Luming, ed., Fang Lijun, Hunan, 2001, p. 43) Fang Lijun painted his first figure with a bald head in 1989 while still a student at Beijing’s Central Academy. The motif, which has become the cornerstone of Fang Lijun’s oeuvre, bears special significance for the artist whom himself sports a shaven head. “It (the motif of the shaven head) carries a striking effect. It suggests rebellion, but is not entirely cut and dried; for example, monks, soldiers and prisoners are all bald. The appearance of a shaven head almost totally eliminates an individual persona. This is quite different from the concepts within our received education. To me, the significance of a shaven head is the annihilation of individuality allowing for a rendering of the essence of humanity.” (ibid, p. 37) Read More