Acrylic on canvas

139.7 x 110.2 cm. 55 x 43 3/8 in.

Signed and dated in Chinese on upper center
LITERATURE
2004, Ji Dachun, Timezone 8, Beijing, p.132, 172

PROVENANCE
2 Apr 2012, Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction, Lot 863
Private Collection, Asia

Whimsy and Expressive
Young Mao Zedong by Ji Dachun
For Ji Dachun, who graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1993, there is no object that cannot be used for painting. “As long as it is fun, you can use anything,” he said. Ji often uses quirky anecdotes derived from everyday life as the themes of his paintings and adds some of his own whimsical ideas. Therefore, his works stand out for their non-linear thinking and a rich sense of humor.
Everything Begins with Color
Created in 2004, Zhong Nanhai 0.6 depicts Mao Zedong as a young man in dark green robes. He holds the palette in his left hand and a few brushes in his right hand while standing on the sixth and top step of a wooden ladder. There are several kinds of pigments on the palette, but the ends of the brushes are still white, meaning the painting has not yet begun.
The name of the work Zhong Nanhai 0.6 originated from the “Zhongnanhai Cigarettes” produced by the Beijing Cigarette Factory in the 1970s, a cigarette brand that Mao Zedong particularly liked in his later years. “0.6” refers to the six-milligram tar content. In 2004, Ji Dachun lived in Beijing's Guanzhuang Xili, next door to the famous Beijing Cigarette Factory. “While painting this picture,” he said. “I could smell the cigarettes every day on my balcony.” The young Mao Zedong in the painting, holding a brush that has not yet been stained with paint, seems to be thinking about what color to use to paint his youth and how to design a blueprint for the Chinese people to follow. Everything has just begun； he is full of infinite possibilities, just as Ji Dachun was at that time. In 2004, Ji Dachun, pretty much unknown before, was suddenly noticed by the outside world at the Shanghai Biennale. Many galleries came to compete for his works. It greatly flattered him, leading him to think about his artistic future. While working on Zhong Nanhai 0.6, he probably contemplated Chairman's Mao youth and how he chose his own brilliant road when faced with different schools of thought. To make a long story short, Zhong Nanhai 0.6 takes an interesting look at the artist's life status as well as doubts regarding the future.

Price estimate:
HKD: 280,000 -380,000
USD: 35,700 - 48,400

Auction Result:
HKD : 330,400