Fang Lijun

Prüss & Ochs Galleries, Berlin
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2001

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is a very minor horizontal rub mark along the extreme top edge towards the top left corner, and a very minor vertical rub mark towards the upper left edge. No restoration is apparent under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A resounding affirmation of vitality and optimism, Untitled is a highly resolved example of Fang Lijun's mature, highly-renowned and inimitable style of painting. In its colour and atmosphere it is exactly characteristic of this seminal Chinese artist's best work. Fang Lijun has established a reputation as a leading exponent of Cynical Realism: rooted in the events and aftermath of 1989, his artistic career has served as the adroit, pithy and subversive commentary of China's tectonic metamorphoses during the past twenty years. In 1989, while still a student he was one of the youngest artists to exhibit at the notorious 'China Avant/Garde' exhibition in Beijing, which was closed down moments after its opening to the public because its content was deemed subversive and dangerous by the authorities. Since then, has also participated in the Venice Biennales of 1993 and 1999, at the major exhibition 'Inside Out' at the Asia Society in New York in 1998, and also provided a painting for the cover of the New York Times Magazine in December 1993. A favourite motif of his is the depiction of a certain stereotype of disenfranchised bald youth - derived from studies of peasant farmers -  that has come to symbolise a generation who were rendered bored simpletons by the paralysing extremism of the Cultural Revolution. In the present work only the bases of the two figures' heads are visible, below the jaw-line as viewed from underneath, so their exact figural characteristics remain a mystery. Nevertheless, in the quality of anonymity suggested by their expressionless upper necks these two protagonists embody the idea of facelessness and generic namelessness that has been such a powerful theme in Fang Lijun's output. In addition, the pattern and types of the flowers, which are seemingly symbolic yet also generalised inventions, have been long-established as the immediately recognisable trademark.

 

This is a painting of well-conceived disorientation: the artist manipulates perspective by juxtaposing the sharp focus in the array of exotic flowers floating mid-air in the immediate foreground with the high resolution in the grand architecture of majestic clouds that fills the very far distance. In addition to this, Fang Lijun places the spectator's viewpoint underneath the two figures, as if lying on the ground looking up, although this jolts with the horizontality of the clouds, which appear as if seen by the spectator from a standing viewpoint. The entire effect is compounded by the dimensions of the canvas, which encourage the viewer to look up and down the painting rather than from side to side. This discombobulating effect is fundamental to the import of the painting: it is itself a work about finding direction. When analysed closely, it is clear that the characters are looking in one direction, and yet are simultaneously gesturing in another, while the figure in green even appears to be pointing in two opposing directions at the same time. Meanwhile the fragile, ethereal, and chromatically unreal flowers keep falling. Thus this painting can readily be interpreted as a rich metaphor for disorientation and a lack of direction, though it's intensely beautiful palette belies the calm serenity that can accompany a slightly hypnotic loss of perspective. As ever, Fang Lijun exhibits an instinctive aptitude for pure, bright, colour and from the intense cobalt of the sky, itself as powerful as Yves Klein's infamous IKB pigment, to the yellows and pink of the flowers, the viewer is seduced by this irresistible chorus of brilliant hues while also intrigued by the subtly loaded scenario.