Page 557 - Bonhams Chinese and Comtemporary Paintings Nov 2014 Hong Kong

1289 Zhang Xiaogang is one of the most recognizable Chinese
contemporary artists. His body of work spanning over three decades
Zhang Xiaogang (Chinese, b. 1958) reflects his personal experience in a tumultuous period of China’s
history, and is an iconic testament to how such changes in society
In-Out Series No. 2 affected the creative process of this generation.

Oil on canvas
Signed in Chinese and dated 2006
190 x 180 cm. (74O x 70P in).

HK$3,800,000 - 5,000,000 Born in 1958, the Cultural Revolution permeated Zhang’s youth. The
US$490,000 - 640,000 political and social turmoil left a thoroughly harrowing impact on the
artist, and this era continues to shape the people of his generation.
Provenance: To keep Zhang occupied while the schools were closed, the artist’s
Pace Gallery, New York mother taught him to draw, which became a form of refuge from
Private collection, Sydney the unrest around him. Later he took his interest in art further by
beginning his studies in oil painting at the Sichuan Academy of
Exhibited: Fine Arts. It was here he and his peers decided to depart from the
‘Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul’, Queensland Gallery of Revolutionary Realism style mandated during the Cultural Revolution
Modern Art, Brisbane, 27 March to 28 June 2009 and turned to inspiration from the West.

Published: In 1992 he visited Germany and upon his return he developed a
Leng Lin, Abby Fitzgibbons, Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul, more distinct path of his own journey as a Chinese artist, and this
Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2009, p. 106-7 new found inspiration, followed by his discovery of old family portrait
photographs led to his renowned ‘Bloodline: The Big Family’ series
張曉剛 裏和外二號 油彩畫布 二〇〇六年作 in coming years. This series of works highlight the memories of family
connection in terms of direct relation and ancestral links, as well as
簽名：張曉剛 2006 the collective in the Communist context. The red ‘bloodline’ that
connects the figures unites them in an unbreakable bond.
來源：
紐約佩斯畫廊 His style continues to evolve. The ‘In-Out’ series from 2006 marks
悉尼私人收藏 a shift from the artist’s focus on direct representation of people in
his iconic ‘Bloodline’ series to an implied human presence, while
展覽： continuing to look at the notions of memory. In this series, the
「張曉剛：靈魂上的影子」，昆士蘭美術館，2009年3月27日至6月28日 paintings feature one defined detail against a blurred background,
such as an industrial setting, or an intimate interior. The detail that
出版： comes into sharp focus in each painting is an object of particular
冷林，Abby Fitzgibbons，《張曉剛：靈魂上的影子》，昆士蘭美術館， significance from the Cultural Revolution. In Lot 1289 Zhang depicted
2009年，頁106-107 a loudspeaker which was the primary method of public broadcasting
before the popularisation of television in homes in the 1980s. Despite
張曉剛是中國最知名的當代藝術家之一，三十多年來的作品反映了 the nondescript and blurred setting, the one detail suggests a
他於劇變中的中國之個人經驗，能夠代表性地證明這樣的社會改變 collective memory of his generation and brings the context of this
如何影響這一代人的創作。他生於1958年並在文革中長大，這時期 painting to a specific time period. The loudspeaker is a symbol of
的政治和社會動盪為藝術家帶來深厚的影響，也一直塑造張曉剛其 time and memory, acting as the ‘bloodline’ that connects people and
後的藝術發展。為了他在停課時不會終日閒著，張曉剛的母親教他 the passage of time. It is also a symbol of communication and the
畫畫，繼而成為他抽離周遭騷動的一種方法。後來他就讀四川美術 link between public and private spaces.
學院，開始正式學習油畫。正在這裡，他決定不再用文革期間規定
的革命現實主義創作，並開始從西方題材獲取靈感。 Zhang Xiaogang’s art develops in conjunction with the Chinese social
and political landscape. His works capture the quintessence of the
張曉剛1992年到訪德國，回國後對自己作為一位中國藝術家的身分 material and psychological impact on the people of China left by the
有更清晰的理解。這個新的靈感，配上他隨後發現家人的舊照片， rapid and dramatic transformations over the last half of a century.
從而展開了他著名《血緣：大家庭》系列。這一系列的作品探討
「家庭」的回憶，包括有血緣關係的親人，以及共產主義的集體。
紅色的「血緣」把畫中的人像連接起來，把他們綁在一個牢不可破
的盟約。

他的風格持續在改變中。繼他著名的《血緣》系列人像油畫，《裡
和外》系列可以看出藝術家風格上的轉變，透過暗示出來的民眾繼
續探討回憶的概念。這個系列的作品均有模糊的背景，並清晰畫出
文革年代特別象徵性的物件，形成鮮明的對比來突出重要性。在拍
品1289，張曉剛特別描繪的揚聲器是八十年代家庭電視的普及化
之前公共廣播的主要工具，意義深入民心。即使畫裏其他的內容不
是特別的重要，單是一個揚聲器已經帶出他那一代的集體回憶，把
畫作放在一個特定的時空。揚聲器是時間和記憶的象徵，充當「血
緣」連接人與時間的流逝，也是溝通的象徵，聯繫大眾和私人的空
間。

張曉剛的藝術與中國社會和政治環境一起發展。他的作品捕捉了過
去半個世紀，中國的迅速和劇變對人民物質和心理所產生的影響。

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