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Visual Arts Library

Series 2 No. 4


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Artist: Fang Lijun
Date: 1991 - 1992
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 200 x 200 cm
Event: Chinese History



Fang is best known for his bold-colored paintings, which feature single or multiple figures with clean-shaven heads against expansive backgrounds of earth, water or sky. Fang's art is extremely personal, as he often uses himself or family and friends as models for his works. Some of his figures seem to be posing for photographs, while others seem to involve the viewers in an intimate moment. The figures' faces carry a wide range of expressions, including enigmatic smiles, yawns, and grimaces. The power and appeal of his work lies in the fact that Fang manages to create works that strike a familiar chord with viewers though his works only suggest narratives that are never fully revealed.