Liu Ye (1964- ) - 2003 Red I (Christie's London, 2009)
Oil on canvas; 195 x 195 cm.
Liu Ye (simplified Chinese: 刘野; traditional Chinese: 劉野; pinyin: Liú Yě; born in 1964) is a Beijing-based contemporary Chinese painter known for his bright-hued paintings of childlike female figures, his favorite cartoon character Miffy the bunny and works inspired by Piet Mondrian.[1] Liu Ye is part of a generation of artists who grew up during the Cultural Revolution. However, unlike most acclaimed Chinese contemporary art, his works have little political implications. Instead, he prefers to use a universal language to depict his inner world. His work has been exhibited extensively in China, Europe and the United States.
Liu Ye’s interest in Western art and his experience studying in Berlin distinguishes him from many of his contemporary Chinese artists who have turned their art as a weapon against the Communist Regime after the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989. As the art historian Pi Li says,"The major difference between him and his contemporaries was that he did not go through the period of rage around 1989 [following the Tiananmen Square massacre], nor did his works contain elements of 'collective' images." [5] Around the same period of time, Liu Ye was witnessing the change in Europe as the Berlin Wall came down, touring Europe’s art museums and studying masters of Western modernism like Paul Klee and Johannes Vermeer.[6] Instead of focusing on his Chinese origin, Liu Ye embraces some more universal themes like beauty, feeling and hope in his works.[7] As he puts it, " Seeking beauty is the last chance for human beings. It is like shooting at the goal; it arouses an emotion that is wild with with joy." [8] By the time Liu Ye went back to China in 1994, his works were deeply influenced by German Expressionism, showing intense personal expression with an overall gloomy tone.[9] The works by Mondrian as a symbol and the Mondrian composition had already appeared in a lot of his work. Mirror, his self-portray, and the surrealism of René Magritte are other important indicators of his early work. During this period, Liu started to depict a little scenario in each of his work, which continues to be one of his recognizable styles. After 1994, as Liu Ye returned to Beijing, his style and subject matters changed with the environment. He started to portray himself more as a little boy than a young man as he did before. More female figures appeared. The settings of his painting moved from rooms to theatres where scenes he saw in China as a little boy, his childhood dream were depicted. Chorus, fleet and sailor boys were repetitive subjects portrayed during the period.[10] His preference for using primary colors can be traced to his childhood days in Beijing as well. “I grew up in a world of red,” he recalls, “the red sun, red flags, red scarves with green pines and sunflowers often supporting the red symbols.” [11] By 2000, Liu ye had gradually developed his own distinguishable style. From 2000, Liu ye moved his attention away from himself and started to portray figures he has interest in such as Zhang Ailing[disambiguation needed], Ruan Lingyu, Andersen, Little Mermaid, and so on. At the same time, he started to paint his favorite cartoon character Miffy the bunny as a reflection of himself.[12] Liu Ye fell in love with the cartoon character created by Dick Bruna immediately after he first saw her while he was living in Amsterdam because he saw himself in the bunny, who is seemingly simple but actually extremely intelligent.[13] The Mondrian symbol returned to his work, usually portrayed together with a little girl or boy, sometimes with Miffy as well. Around 2004 and 2005, Liu Ye’s fairytale-like fantasy was replaced by a more mild and realistic style.[14] An adolescent girl is featured repetitively. Some paintings depict her engaging in rather simple activities such reading or embarking on a journey while others contain subtle sexual implications.[15] Vermeer’s influence became increasingly obvious in those works with the evidence of his pursuit of the perfection of human beauty.[16]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Ye_%28artist%29
Liu Ye (1964- ) - 2003 Red I (Christie's London, 2009)
Oil on canvas; 195 x 195 cm.
Liu Ye (simplified Chinese: 刘野; traditional Chinese: 劉野; pinyin: Liú Yě; born in 1964) is a Beijing-based contemporary Chinese painter known for his bright-hued paintings of childlike female figures, his favorite cartoon character Miffy the bunny and works inspired by Piet Mondrian.[1] Liu Ye is part of a generation of artists who grew up during the Cultural Revolution. However, unlike most acclaimed Chinese contemporary art, his works have little political implications. Instead, he prefers to use a universal language to depict his inner world. His work has been exhibited extensively in China, Europe and the United States.
Liu Ye’s interest in Western art and his experience studying in Berlin distinguishes him from many of his contemporary Chinese artists who have turned their art as a weapon against the Communist Regime after the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989. As the art historian Pi Li says,"The major difference between him and his contemporaries was that he did not go through the period of rage around 1989 [following the Tiananmen Square massacre], nor did his works contain elements of 'collective' images." [5] Around the same period of time, Liu Ye was witnessing the change in Europe as the Berlin Wall came down, touring Europe’s art museums and studying masters of Western modernism like Paul Klee and Johannes Vermeer.[6] Instead of focusing on his Chinese origin, Liu Ye embraces some more universal themes like beauty, feeling and hope in his works.[7] As he puts it, " Seeking beauty is the last chance for human beings. It is like shooting at the goal; it arouses an emotion that is wild with with joy." [8] By the time Liu Ye went back to China in 1994, his works were deeply influenced by German Expressionism, showing intense personal expression with an overall gloomy tone.[9] The works by Mondrian as a symbol and the Mondrian composition had already appeared in a lot of his work. Mirror, his self-portray, and the surrealism of René Magritte are other important indicators of his early work. During this period, Liu started to depict a little scenario in each of his work, which continues to be one of his recognizable styles. After 1994, as Liu Ye returned to Beijing, his style and subject matters changed with the environment. He started to portray himself more as a little boy than a young man as he did before. More female figures appeared. The settings of his painting moved from rooms to theatres where scenes he saw in China as a little boy, his childhood dream were depicted. Chorus, fleet and sailor boys were repetitive subjects portrayed during the period.[10] His preference for using primary colors can be traced to his childhood days in Beijing as well. “I grew up in a world of red,” he recalls, “the red sun, red flags, red scarves with green pines and sunflowers often supporting the red symbols.” [11] By 2000, Liu ye had gradually developed his own distinguishable style. From 2000, Liu ye moved his attention away from himself and started to portray figures he has interest in such as Zhang Ailing[disambiguation needed], Ruan Lingyu, Andersen, Little Mermaid, and so on. At the same time, he started to paint his favorite cartoon character Miffy the bunny as a reflection of himself.[12] Liu Ye fell in love with the cartoon character created by Dick Bruna immediately after he first saw her while he was living in Amsterdam because he saw himself in the bunny, who is seemingly simple but actually extremely intelligent.[13] The Mondrian symbol returned to his work, usually portrayed together with a little girl or boy, sometimes with Miffy as well. Around 2004 and 2005, Liu Ye’s fairytale-like fantasy was replaced by a more mild and realistic style.[14] An adolescent girl is featured repetitively. Some paintings depict her engaging in rather simple activities such reading or embarking on a journey while others contain subtle sexual implications.[15] Vermeer’s influence became increasingly obvious in those works with the evidence of his pursuit of the perfection of human beauty.[16]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Ye_%28artist%29