PRINTEXHIBITED:
Back to Beijing , Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, November 29, 2009 - January 3, 2010
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Army Princess No. 4
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2009 Oil on canvas 250 x 180 cm Signed on the reverse Jian Ling in Chinese, LING Jian Ling in English and dated 2009 |
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Estimate
800,000 - 1,200,000 3,239,000 - 4,858,000 103,200 - 154,700
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Sold Price
1,140,000 4,560,000 147,097
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EXHIBITED:
Back to Beijing , Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, November 29, 2009 - January 3, 2010
Catalogue Note:
In the works of Ling Jian, the facial expressions of his subjects are finely depicted and at the same time almost exude a sense of transcending qualities. Behind these beautiful, sexy, cold, or even sorrowful visages, the emphasized or hidden bewildering mindscapes of the characters ignite a surge of thoughts and feelings in viewers. Beautiful and representational female characters are depicted on giant circular canvases to explore a broad spectrum of themes from materialism, wealth, political awareness to modern feminism, identity and body image. The women in the paintings exhibit the cultural transformations of a locality, contradictory conflicts, marks left behind by time, and each character's individual story. Ling Jian customarily presents female forms in hyper-realistic and exaggerated styles. A wide forehead, narrow chin, plump lips, and large eyes are depicted in a reflection of modern standards of beauty and the impact of cultural affirmation, in effect becoming a carrier of information in this age where things are becoming increasingly abstract.
This piece, created in 2009, expresses its sensibility in a much more thorough and straightforward manner compared to the sensitivity and delicacy conveyed in earlier pieces. In particular with his works created after 2006, the artist creates materialistic scenes that embody women extending from the face all the way to encompass the entire body. Thin and angular forms, pale cold skin, short Barbie Doll hair, shiny jewelry and accessories, red lips sucking on a cherry, gazes full of temptation and desire; the highly suggestive and erotic elements of these scenes cannot be deciphered through logic. When the viewer observes these works from different perspectives, a new visual impression is revealed. This fresh new visual experience enables viewers to sense the rapid change between each individual and the society in which they are enveloped. The artificial external beauty juxtaposed with the emptiness and loss of inner character exposes one of the more prominent social and cultural aspects that define our current era.
This piece, created in 2009, expresses its sensibility in a much more thorough and straightforward manner compared to the sensitivity and delicacy conveyed in earlier pieces. In particular with his works created after 2006, the artist creates materialistic scenes that embody women extending from the face all the way to encompass the entire body. Thin and angular forms, pale cold skin, short Barbie Doll hair, shiny jewelry and accessories, red lips sucking on a cherry, gazes full of temptation and desire; the highly suggestive and erotic elements of these scenes cannot be deciphered through logic. When the viewer observes these works from different perspectives, a new visual impression is revealed. This fresh new visual experience enables viewers to sense the rapid change between each individual and the society in which they are enveloped. The artificial external beauty juxtaposed with the emptiness and loss of inner character exposes one of the more prominent social and cultural aspects that define our current era.