PRINTILLUSTRATED:
Taiwan Business Topics, Taipei, 2011, color illustrated, p. 16
|
Strawberry Generation - The Super Smash
|
|
2009 Oil on canvas 195 x 390 cm |
|
Estimate
2,800,000 - 4,200,000 691,000 - 1,037,000 89,100 - 133,700
|
|
Sold Price
3,600,000 875,912 112,817
|
|
|
ILLUSTRATED:
Taiwan Business Topics, Taipei, 2011, color illustrated, p. 16
Catalogue Note:
Text/Xu Wanzhen
Seeing Lo Chan-peng’s paintings for the first time, almost all viewers are amazed by the extreme “realism” of his works. “Realism”, here, suggests the artist’s delicate and detailed depiction presented through his outstanding painting skills; viewers are amazed by his precise handling of detail. Precision gives semblance, and semblance achieves realism. To be realist means to depict reality. However, “reality” means different things in different places. “Reality” here does not imply ontological “reality” or “existence”, but resemblance. If we clarify this further, “resemblance” involves not just the duplication of a single object, but a sort of universal depiction of humanity. The artist not only grasps the proportion of physical outlines, but also the precise details of the hair and even the wrinkles on the skin. One may almost see the distribution of the blue veins and red arteries under the skin. Amid the cries about details, resemblance and realism, however, we can’t help but wonder: Are details, resemblance and realism enough for art or paintings? In addition to those features, are there no other qualities shown through Lo’s paintings?
In Western classical aesthetics, such as Plato’s dialogues on beauty, beauty (kalos) is not separated from the goodness of morality or from the concept of existence. Art (that is, beauty) is hierarchical, ascending from the sensibility of the perceived subjects to a kind of metaphysical state. Artistic works, therefore, can be seen as the imitation of perceivable objects in reality, and reality is an imitation of the ideal. Renaissance art master Michelangelo said, “Art is to imitate the most ideal nature”. In Imitation or Presentationism, the beauty of art is derived from the artist’s dedication to carefully delineating, researching and analyzing the images of the objects. In the end, the object represents not just a single individual but the universal and ideal “nature.” As a result, it seems possible to interpret Lo’s paintings in terms of such an understanding of beauty, since he does produce highly detailed images of people.
Chinese aesthetics views art differently. In On Painting and Poetry, Su Dungpo (1037 -1101), a Chinese poet of the Song dynasty, stressed that “seeking resemblance in painting comes close to the level of children, and pointing directly to the meaning in poetry is not the act of a poet”. In Chinese aesthetics, the value of art (beauty) lies not in resemblance — this might even be said to be the basest level in Chinese painting. Chinese artists instead pursue “charm”; they seek “forms outside tangibility”; they seek “spirited rhythm”. In terms of such standards, are there any other qualities worth discussing except resemblance in Lo’s art? In the course from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism, Western painting also began to depart from the depiction of objective appearance to subjective expression. In the 20th century, ontological debates over existence once again changed the currents of Western art. Was Lo influenced by the impact of those giant waves? In addition to resemblance, do we perceive the artist’s thoughts flowing through his works?
Viewing Lo’s paintings carefully, one sees a surface aura. The light in Lo’s paintings is different from the spotlight effect that emphasizes strong contrasts in 17th century Baroque paintings, and from the changes of color in sunlight explored by 19th century Impressionists. Lo does not stress the angles or positions of his light, nor purposefully create a glimmering visual effect with the juxtaposition of primary colors or complementary colors. Rather than directly making sketches of the “real objects”, Lo takes digital photos of his subjects first. He then transmits the files to his computer, partially edits them with software programs, displays them on the monitor, and finally copies from those images. Because of this process, he is capable of loyally depicting the images with his outstanding painting skills; this is why almost all of his paintings give off a glimmer of light. The light shimmering on Lo’s paintings is the fluorescence, the electron beams emitted from inside the screen. This is the unique vocabulary of an information society overwhelmed by a mass of digital information. This is also the light common to all of humanity following the Information Revolution. And it is one of the characteristics that makes Lo’s painting so characteristic of the age.
Lo has so far created works including the “Young Beauty” series, the “Strawberry Generation: the Super Smash” series, the “Strawberry Generation: The Night Marching” series, the “Journal of Strawberry Generation” series and the “Youth Diary of Strawberry Division” series. Regardless of the details of these works, all the figures he depicts belong to his generation. People of his father’s generation; the busy middle class; toddlers and loving mothers — all are nowhere to be seen. What he depicts is the younger generation in their twenties. Those portraits without backgrounds look like solemn pictures of the deceased; the artist seems to be writing contemporary history, as one involved in it. Sima Qian, a Chinese historian of the Han dynasty, wrote the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which was divided into five categories: “Basic Annals”, “Tables”, “Treaties”, “Hereditary Houses” and “Ranked Biographies”. If Lo’s “Strawberry Generation” were to be classed as one of these, still impulsive and emotional at their age, they would fit with the “Ranked Biographies”. Lo presents their marvelous and extraordinary talents in his paintings. Although they are just bluffing and posturing, such pretense and attitude make for a precise reflection of the “Strawberry Generation”. We may call Lo’s works “the Ranked Biographies of the Strawberry Generation” for Taiwan in the 21st century.
Born in Chiayi in 1983, Lo grew up from the time when society in Taiwan experienced rapid changes. Politically, there was striving for democracy and freedom, before and after the lifting of martial law; in economics, the newly rich gained massive wealth; and socially, Taiwan transformed from being conservative to liberal and open. A strong sense of self became the norm, and wealthy material lives made it difficult for the young to be as diligent and frugal as the previous generation; an extreme slogan of that generation goes, “As long as I like doing it, why not do it?” They are seen as “strawberries”, incapable of enduring pressure. Strawberries are encircled by a self-righteous glowing scarlet on the surface, yet on the inside they are just slightly sweet and slightly sour. Like the light sweetness and light sourness of strawberries, the emotions of the Strawberry Generation shift around on that modest scale. Lo fully demonstrates the features of those Strawberries through his paintings. Over hundreds of paintings, creating a portrait for one individual seems to be writing the biography of a great historical figure. Lo’s delicate and detailed figures always appear amazing and appealing, as gorgeously appealing on the surface as a strawberry. However, those certain and stern eyes, the fierce and angry grimaces, and that alluring idleness, are in fact just a projection of light and shallow feelings, neither strong nor solid.
Between the heavy exterior and the thin interior, there forms a kind of balance that is heavy as well as light, where Lo conceives the creation of his art. Lo maintains a cold and distant attitude, and yet the objects for which he writes these “biographies” are precisely projections of himself. He coolly watches himself with the unconcerned indifference of a surgeon calmly wielding a scalpel. At the same time, he is also the patient in bed moaning and groaning, without illness. In all the world, humanity is the only species that possesses this ability to self-dissect, this sort of introspection evolved from self-awareness. One can be the person involved and yet simultaneously the onlooker. In the process of changing roles, we gain insight and spiritual elevation. Lo’s work walks a tightrope between inner and outer conflicts. He composes these “Strawberry Biographies” for himself and those of his generation, creating an opportunity for us to see how Taiwanese strawberries born in the 1980s reflect on and examine themselves.
Seeing Lo Chan-peng’s paintings for the first time, almost all viewers are amazed by the extreme “realism” of his works. “Realism”, here, suggests the artist’s delicate and detailed depiction presented through his outstanding painting skills; viewers are amazed by his precise handling of detail. Precision gives semblance, and semblance achieves realism. To be realist means to depict reality. However, “reality” means different things in different places. “Reality” here does not imply ontological “reality” or “existence”, but resemblance. If we clarify this further, “resemblance” involves not just the duplication of a single object, but a sort of universal depiction of humanity. The artist not only grasps the proportion of physical outlines, but also the precise details of the hair and even the wrinkles on the skin. One may almost see the distribution of the blue veins and red arteries under the skin. Amid the cries about details, resemblance and realism, however, we can’t help but wonder: Are details, resemblance and realism enough for art or paintings? In addition to those features, are there no other qualities shown through Lo’s paintings?
In Western classical aesthetics, such as Plato’s dialogues on beauty, beauty (kalos) is not separated from the goodness of morality or from the concept of existence. Art (that is, beauty) is hierarchical, ascending from the sensibility of the perceived subjects to a kind of metaphysical state. Artistic works, therefore, can be seen as the imitation of perceivable objects in reality, and reality is an imitation of the ideal. Renaissance art master Michelangelo said, “Art is to imitate the most ideal nature”. In Imitation or Presentationism, the beauty of art is derived from the artist’s dedication to carefully delineating, researching and analyzing the images of the objects. In the end, the object represents not just a single individual but the universal and ideal “nature.” As a result, it seems possible to interpret Lo’s paintings in terms of such an understanding of beauty, since he does produce highly detailed images of people.
Chinese aesthetics views art differently. In On Painting and Poetry, Su Dungpo (1037 -1101), a Chinese poet of the Song dynasty, stressed that “seeking resemblance in painting comes close to the level of children, and pointing directly to the meaning in poetry is not the act of a poet”. In Chinese aesthetics, the value of art (beauty) lies not in resemblance — this might even be said to be the basest level in Chinese painting. Chinese artists instead pursue “charm”; they seek “forms outside tangibility”; they seek “spirited rhythm”. In terms of such standards, are there any other qualities worth discussing except resemblance in Lo’s art? In the course from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism, Western painting also began to depart from the depiction of objective appearance to subjective expression. In the 20th century, ontological debates over existence once again changed the currents of Western art. Was Lo influenced by the impact of those giant waves? In addition to resemblance, do we perceive the artist’s thoughts flowing through his works?
Viewing Lo’s paintings carefully, one sees a surface aura. The light in Lo’s paintings is different from the spotlight effect that emphasizes strong contrasts in 17th century Baroque paintings, and from the changes of color in sunlight explored by 19th century Impressionists. Lo does not stress the angles or positions of his light, nor purposefully create a glimmering visual effect with the juxtaposition of primary colors or complementary colors. Rather than directly making sketches of the “real objects”, Lo takes digital photos of his subjects first. He then transmits the files to his computer, partially edits them with software programs, displays them on the monitor, and finally copies from those images. Because of this process, he is capable of loyally depicting the images with his outstanding painting skills; this is why almost all of his paintings give off a glimmer of light. The light shimmering on Lo’s paintings is the fluorescence, the electron beams emitted from inside the screen. This is the unique vocabulary of an information society overwhelmed by a mass of digital information. This is also the light common to all of humanity following the Information Revolution. And it is one of the characteristics that makes Lo’s painting so characteristic of the age.
Lo has so far created works including the “Young Beauty” series, the “Strawberry Generation: the Super Smash” series, the “Strawberry Generation: The Night Marching” series, the “Journal of Strawberry Generation” series and the “Youth Diary of Strawberry Division” series. Regardless of the details of these works, all the figures he depicts belong to his generation. People of his father’s generation; the busy middle class; toddlers and loving mothers — all are nowhere to be seen. What he depicts is the younger generation in their twenties. Those portraits without backgrounds look like solemn pictures of the deceased; the artist seems to be writing contemporary history, as one involved in it. Sima Qian, a Chinese historian of the Han dynasty, wrote the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which was divided into five categories: “Basic Annals”, “Tables”, “Treaties”, “Hereditary Houses” and “Ranked Biographies”. If Lo’s “Strawberry Generation” were to be classed as one of these, still impulsive and emotional at their age, they would fit with the “Ranked Biographies”. Lo presents their marvelous and extraordinary talents in his paintings. Although they are just bluffing and posturing, such pretense and attitude make for a precise reflection of the “Strawberry Generation”. We may call Lo’s works “the Ranked Biographies of the Strawberry Generation” for Taiwan in the 21st century.
Born in Chiayi in 1983, Lo grew up from the time when society in Taiwan experienced rapid changes. Politically, there was striving for democracy and freedom, before and after the lifting of martial law; in economics, the newly rich gained massive wealth; and socially, Taiwan transformed from being conservative to liberal and open. A strong sense of self became the norm, and wealthy material lives made it difficult for the young to be as diligent and frugal as the previous generation; an extreme slogan of that generation goes, “As long as I like doing it, why not do it?” They are seen as “strawberries”, incapable of enduring pressure. Strawberries are encircled by a self-righteous glowing scarlet on the surface, yet on the inside they are just slightly sweet and slightly sour. Like the light sweetness and light sourness of strawberries, the emotions of the Strawberry Generation shift around on that modest scale. Lo fully demonstrates the features of those Strawberries through his paintings. Over hundreds of paintings, creating a portrait for one individual seems to be writing the biography of a great historical figure. Lo’s delicate and detailed figures always appear amazing and appealing, as gorgeously appealing on the surface as a strawberry. However, those certain and stern eyes, the fierce and angry grimaces, and that alluring idleness, are in fact just a projection of light and shallow feelings, neither strong nor solid.
Between the heavy exterior and the thin interior, there forms a kind of balance that is heavy as well as light, where Lo conceives the creation of his art. Lo maintains a cold and distant attitude, and yet the objects for which he writes these “biographies” are precisely projections of himself. He coolly watches himself with the unconcerned indifference of a surgeon calmly wielding a scalpel. At the same time, he is also the patient in bed moaning and groaning, without illness. In all the world, humanity is the only species that possesses this ability to self-dissect, this sort of introspection evolved from self-awareness. One can be the person involved and yet simultaneously the onlooker. In the process of changing roles, we gain insight and spiritual elevation. Lo’s work walks a tightrope between inner and outer conflicts. He composes these “Strawberry Biographies” for himself and those of his generation, creating an opportunity for us to see how Taiwanese strawberries born in the 1980s reflect on and examine themselves.