Mao Yan

Private Collection, China
Council, Beijing, 06 June 2011, lot 1752
Private Collection, China

China, Beijing, Art Gallery of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, CAFA Graduation Exhibition, 1991

This work is generally in good condition with minor wear and handling marks around edges. Upon close inspection, three series of spiral craquelure can be noticed at the upper left corner, upper right quadrant and on the figure's right shoulder. There are also three linear paint separations at the upper half towards the top edge. Under UV light examination, there appears to be no evidence of restoration and the painting was not examined out of the frame.
"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."

In writing about Mao Yan, painter He Duoling once described him as “somewhat of a recluse.” Mao himself has candidly expressed that “nothing brings more happiness than self-reliance.” His wandering, come-and-go-as-you-please existence is not just predicated on the possession of natural skill and artistry, but is also rooted in the artist’s desire for self-inflicted psychological exile, a yearning to gaze back at the world from the faraway view of an observer. This type of observation from an outsider’s perspective forces the artist to consider thoroughly his individual experience in society, a psychology which he then projects onto the subjects he portrays, his highly proficient skill internalizing the conceptual depths of his discoveries. From this perspective, Mao’s portraits of “Xiaoshan,” “Poet,” and “Thomas” are all, to a certain degree, spiritual self-portraits. And Female Body, which he painted in 1990, already begins to clearly reveal his orientation towards the conceptual.

While studying oil painting at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Mao stood out for his extraordinary perceptiveness and creativity. Female Body, which was showcased at his graduation exhibition to great reception, is undoubtedly the most striking evidence of Mao’s initial exploration of form. Unlike his later works, which are full of desolation, chaos and Eastern metaphysics, Female Body is more appropriately categorized under the title of Western Expressionism. If one were to make comparisons, Mao’s style would be considered most similar to that of Lucian Freud or Egon Schiele. At a time when the faith of intellectuals was shattered and Western ideas surged in, Mao was one of the earliest Chinese artists to adopt some of the characteristics of Western Expressionism and combine them into his own style, while at the same time turning inwards to the depiction of inner psychological states. The physique of the woman depicted in this painting is thin and gaunt, her right hand tensely supporting her teetering body as her left hand appears awkwardly at a loss. Although the subject gazes directly at the viewer, her eyes reveal an evasiveness and unease. The background is almost utterly blank, eliminating any elements that could lead to a narrative. This intentional disengagement represents Mao’s absolute indifference to his subject. A relationship of loneliness, isolation, and tension is formed between the woman’s body and her environment. The presence of both cool and warm colour tones, as well as the use of light, envelop the entire scene in a layer of twisted, warped motion, each line brimming with energy. “In particular, the mottled light-and-dark effect upon the face communicates to the viewer a feeling of neurotic sensitivity and anxiety, as if every brushstroke were a nerve ending, with each light and dark spot revealing unease, worry, or a racing pulse.”

Although Mao was a student of the art academy’s curriculum, his portrayal of the female form opposed the spirit of the academy, much like the Realist portraits he would go on to create in later years, which were in actuality anti-portraits. Unlike the beautiful, refined portraits of Neoclassical painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, for example, Mao’s female figures not only represent experiments with artistic language, but are rooted in an internal need. This type of conceptual technique is the process by which the artist – through his subjects – liberates the emotions he cannot express otherwise. Thus, in the model’s deep, anxious gaze, what we see in reality is the artist’s self-awareness of his own, disappointment, sensitivity, , confusion, and perhaps even suffering. Like Chinese painter Chao Ge in his Sensitive Man, Mao bears the emotional pressure of his times, and although he is disillusioned, and terrified, he proceeds onwards, proud and detached. The female figure and portraits have never been to Mao, merely subjects for painting, nor have they merely been subjects for viewing. Rather, they are a portrayal of the artist’s own life and his own emotions, much like a mirror of his existence, reflecting, above the wasteland of contemporary modern life, his naked soul – lonely and oppressed.