PROVENANCE:
Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne, Switzerland
Private collection, Europe

Wang Guangyi once stated, “When you look at an artist’s work, you are seeing a view of his personal history; but it also represents a whole generation.” Creating a visual lexicon with which to express an era of rapid change and political upheaval, Wang Guangyi has stood at the forefront of an artistic movement that in many ways defines a generation of contemporary Chinese artists raised under the red flag of the Cultural Revolution. Wang has utilized an artistic foundation rooted in Socialist Realism, formed from his time spent creating propaganda posters in the 1970s, to create bitingly satirical social commentary on the drastic evolution of current Chinese society. Visually accessible, yet rife with layers of nuanced intention, Wang’s work epitomizes the self-examination and reflection of Chinese Political Pop.

Beginning in 1990, Wang began the process of appropriating the resonating iconography from Socialist Realist propaganda to create his Great Criticism series, blending this antithetical imagery with the structure and form of American Pop Art to create a social commentary tailored for the unique developments within Chinese society. In works such as Great Criticism Series – Pierre Cardin (Lot 546), Wang links the reverence and near idolatry inspired by the complete inundation of propaganda posters and billboards with the current trend of zealous consumerism by replacing—or “correcting”—the political slogans with logos of recognizable Western brands. The vibrant colors and inspirational stature of the Socialist Realist composition combine to create an engagingly comical satire of societal idolatry. Describing the rapid change he observed after the downfall of the Cultural Revolution and the opening of China to the Western world, Wang explains, “China’s cities began to be festooned with commercial billboards. The visual effect of the advertising signs was so strong, it reminded us of the posters in the past…two periods of history had come together.” Just as state-sanctioned propaganda had saturated society in the decades before, advertising and corporate imagery now flooded public consciousness. Great Criticism effectively links the systematic marketing ploys of the former state with those of current corporations in usage, intention, and clear appeal to the general masses.

In Art Angle (Lot 545), Wang has turned his eye from general consumerism to the growing high-end luxury market in China. Matching a simple Socialist Realist image of Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin with bright, eye-catching, neon block lettering, Wang creates clear associations with Lenin’s proclamations on art:
"Our opinion on art is not important. Nor is it important what art gives to a few hundreds or even thousands of a population as great as ours. Art belongs to the people. It must have its deepest roots in the broad mass of workers. It must be understood and loved by them. It must be rooted in and grow with their feelings, thoughts, and desires. It must arouse and develop the artist in them."

Painted in simple grey and black, Art Angle recalls the qualities of a photonegative, with its high contrast, reversed image. In doing so, Wang has created a satirical commentary where Lenin’s quotation becomes subverted by a fine arts market catering to refined and discerning tastes as opposed to the mass appeal of Socialist Realist propaganda. Stamped lines of numbered sequences create further distance between the image of Lenin and the capitalist art market which the great socialist leader unwittingly finds himself abetting.

Works such as Art Angle and others from Wang Guangyi’s Great Criticism series demonstrate the transience of ideology in a society of unremitting change. “Existing iconography is not infallibly correct,” the artist argues, “nor does it retain absolute authority. We might review them with a critical eye and engage in modification if necessary. This very ability to correct confirms the meaning of our existence.”