Fang Lijun

Fang Lijun

            Fang Lijun is a Chinese artist who works within the Cynical Realism movement.  Cynical Realism, typically depicted through paintings, is a movement that explores China’s transition from Communism to the modernization of today.  The perspective taken upon the social and political issues is realistic, but with a humorous touch.  Fang Lijun’s artworks feature bald people, which have social meaning in China.  Chinese men that are bald are traditionally viewed as dumb.  Lijun uses the bald figure in his paintings to emphasize judgment of a person based upon appearances.  Lijun also uses inks in traditional woodblock printing.  These prints are large scale, and are spiritual in nature.

            I liked learning about the Cynical Realism movement in China.  I am inspired by Lijun’s use of the bald figures in his paintings because of the social interpretations it holds in Chinese culture.  I also like that he uses the bald figure as a metaphor for painters, and his artworks are actually a message to the public, asking the people to view artists as normal people.  Fang Lijun is interesting because he is a contemporary artist who also revisits the ancient traditional woodblock printing that Asia is historically famous for.