Author: 张晓刚

Size: 129*100cm

Signed and dated: Dated 1997

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signed in Chinese & Pinyin and dated 1997
PROVENANCE：Private Collection， Europe
Zhang Xiaogang was a classmate of Luo Zhongli and Cheng Congli， who are among the most important painters in contemporary China. Just as Luo and Cheng， Zhang Xiaogang gained his fame in early 80s when Chinese contemporary art was at the turning point. However， unlike most artists of his generation， including Luo and Cheng， Zhang Xiaogang did not focus his paintings at village lives and the hurt of the generation who has experienced the Cultural Revolution. It is true that most of Zhang Xiaogang’s art works take the hurt memory of his generation as themes. But his special art characteristic has made him different from other painters. It is the reason that he is still one of the‘avant-garde’artists now， while most of his classmates have become‘old masters’.
There is an agreement among critics now that Zhang Xiaogang’s paintings have a certain kind of‘Aura’， When Zhang Xiaogang exhibited his paintings， whose compositions and forms were based on old black-white photos， he was criticized as having plagiarized Gerhard Richter’s art languages to produce his own paintings. As time goes on， his paintings have been accepted by most people， both critics and the public， because people have recognized that they are great art works. What’s more， his paintings have become a‘symbol’of Chinese contemporary art.
Pink Boy depicts the memory of the past. The protagonist of the painting is a boy， who is sitting in a big chair， staring at his audiences blankly. It is strange that people could read his mind and even the memory of a whole generation in his empty eyes. The mystery of the memory is buried in his eyes， which are like windows open to the past. It is hard to tell why Zhang Xiaogang’s painting is so touching. One might find that what he is watching is not merely a painting， but his own memory， his own feelings and thoughts， or even his unconsciousness. The skills and colors that Zhang Xiaogang applied to the painting are simple. The painting is dominated by bright pink and blue. The brush strokes are so delicate that the surface of the painting is as smooth as glass. The painting looks gentle， while it is mysterious and charming. The charm lies not in the surface of the painting， but in somewhere deep in our own souls.