Beschreibung:

Fairy Tale
1985 signed 'Zhang Xiao Gang [in Chinese and Pinyin]' lower left oil on canvas 91 x 73 cm. (35 7/8 x 28 3/4 in.) Painted in 1985.
After graduating from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1982, Zhang Xiaogang was posted to a social dance troupe in Kunming to be an 'art worker' in an era in which one's survival was determined by other people. It was also at this time that Zhang began to read books from the West on topics such as modern art theory, philosophy, and literature, and he was particularly fond of the ideas of existentialism and surrealism. During this period, he focused on thinking about 'existence' and 'life and death', the exploration of 'individual consciousness', and experience of the 'soul'. Zhang hoped that, through his art, people could discover the overwhelming perplexity and anxiety that 'mankind' has towards its 'existence'. Thus, the Demon paintings produced between 1982 and 1985 are filled with a kind of spiritual loneliness that is unusually pure and full of a sense of predestination, not unlike what is described in One Hundred Years of Solitude. After 1986, Zhang sought his artistic calling in the realms of religion, both Eastern and Western philosophy, as well as traditional Chinese culture, and gained new understandings of 'life and death' and 'love.' Therefore, during the artist's The Other Shore phase from 1986 to 1989, he worked with a creative language that is both romantic and classic. The rich imagery in Fairy Tale reflects the transition and transformation of the artist's works between the Demon phase and The Other Shore phase. The symbols derived from legends and religions do not merely point to the state of the artist's psyche, but also became symbolic imageries used throughout The Other Shore. In this painting, not only did Zhang Xiaogang cleverly portray and create a representation of his fantastical spiritual reality, but also explore the intricate complex visual connections between the conscious and unconscious self. Compared to his works in the 1990s, which revolve around the theme of "a search for images that are uniquely Chinese" and which engage in discussions on the issues of historical memory and personal memory, a topic closely tied to the zeitgeist of the times, Zhang's creations throughout the 1980s are more about his personal philosophy. These paintings are a manifestation of his complete artistic concept and creative fundamentals. i Zhang Xiaogang ‘Self-Statements and Notes’, Zhang Xiaogang Zuopin Wenxian Yu Yanjiu 1981-2014, Chengdu, 2016. ii Martin Heidegger, Holzwege, Shanghai, 2004, p. 65.