Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

200 × 220 cm. 78 3/4 x 86 5/8 in.

Dated and signed in Chinese on middle left

LITERATURE
2010, Wang Yuping, Culture and Art Publishing House, Beijing, p.68-69
EXHIBITED
20 Jun – 1 Jul 2010, Works of Shen Ling and Wang Yuping, Today Art Museum, Beijing
24 Dec 2011 – 5 Feb 2012, Hustling World – Works by Wang Yuping (2005-2010), He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen
2 Mar – 7 Apr 2013, Wang Yuping – Taipei and Beijing, Eslite Gallery, Taipei

PROVENANCE
Eslite Gallery, Taipei
Acquired by present Asian collector from the above

Spontaneity and Reflection
The Neo-Expressionist Creations of Wang Yuping
In the 1980s and 90s, a cohort of China’s most groundbreaking artists took inspiration from Western expressionist movements and created a series of milestone works that were baptized by critics as a type of “Neo-Expressionism”. Wang Yuping, who graduated in 1989 from the Department of Oil Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, is a prominent member of this movement.
Giving Shape to the Spirit of the Times
In his work, Wang Yuping makes the claim, “Form is greater than concept.” Rather than identifying a central theme and planning the work in advance, he creates spontaneously, using his imagination and keen sense of observation as guides. His work incorporates elements of humor and theatricality. His use of color is rich and unrestrained at times, while subdued at others, creating a sense of looseness and instability. In this highly idiosyncratic style that makes prominent use of freeform lines, Wang records his most sentimental memories and expresses his inner world.
In 1996, Wang Yuping travelled to Vermont to take part in a residency program. During this period, he came to realize the importance of self-reflection in art, which inspired him to incorporate more concrete subject matter into his abstract creations. He began to create surreal images out of opaque color blocks that recount his personal experiences. The use of collage techniques in the layout of his newer works alludes to an innocent and unaffected beauty that lingers behind the alienation and isolation of modern life.
A Witness to an Era of Transformation: 70s Generation
In 2010, Wang completed one of the most emblematic works of his career: 70s Generation. In contrast to other works by Wang from this period, 70s Generation evokes the realities of an entire group of people and even the state of the society in which they grew up through the depiction of individual subjects. The late 1970s marked the beginning of China’s great economic reform, which continues to this day. Those born in that decade, therefore, grew up in sync with the dramatic transformation of Chinese society. While many people from this generation came from adverse circumstances, the wealth of opportunities provided by the reform fueled their ambitions. They may tend to have a more conservative mindset than their younger peers, but they are nonetheless unafraid of change.
In 70s Generation, a girl sidles up to man as she loses herself in the world of her book. What she symbolizes is the rapid growth of higher education in China since the 1970s as well as the greater sense of independence that people born in that era tended to embody. The man to her right stares ahead in silence; he wears clothing that is in line with international trends and which complements the Rococo-style print of the couch behind them. This reflects the influence that Western culture has exerted on Chinese society. Meanwhile, the white cranes on the bright pink bag next to the girl and the falcon next to the older man symbolize the enduring presence of Chinese tradition among this atmosphere of change. The figures in this painting are actually the artist himself and his daughter, meaning that in addition to sharing his humorous observations about two generations of Chinese people, 70s Generation also has a layer of autobiographical significance that is rarely seen in Wang’s work.
From 2000 onward, Wang Yuping began to use pure blocks of color and decorative motifs in his work, and 70s Generation is highly representative of this stylistic evolution. The artist depicts his subjects in a deliberately two-dimensional fashion; combined with the motifs, this creates an almost Cubist collage effect. The entire image is shrouded in blue. This filter creates a sense of nostalgia and stillness, like a frame from a film.

Price estimate:
HKD: 650,000 - 950,000
USD: 83,300 - 121,800

Auction Result:
HKD: 767,000