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No. 19

1996

Chinese, born 1963

Fang Lijun’s ubiquitous bald-headed figures capture the profound indifference felt by many youths of his generation. They often yawn or have blank looks, displaying deep malaise. Fang and other Cynical Realists self-identify as “rogue painters.” By representing feelings of alienation, they set themselves apart from their cohort even though they graduated from the same art academies, which provided them all with fine technical skills in Soviet-style socialist realism.

Woodblock print

Image: 95 1/2 x 47 7/8 in. (242.6 x 121.6 cm)

Sheet:: 47 7/8 x 102 3/4 in. (121.6 x 261 cm)

Gift of Robert M. Arnold

98.30.3

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Art of Protest, Apr. 27, 2000 - Jan. 21, 2001.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Conceal/Reveal, Dec. 20, 2014 - June 21, 2015.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Be/longing: Contemporary Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Dec. 5, 2021].

Published ReferencesUpchurch, Michael. "'Conceal/Reveal' at Seattle Asian Art Museum," in The Seattle Times, January 2, 2015, online (http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025353004_saamconcealrevealxml.html)

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