Mixed media on board

120.5 × 88 cm. 47 1/2 × 34 5/8 in.

Signed in pinyin and dated on middle right
EXHIBITED
20 May – 20 Aug 2020, Dissociate and Struggle for Free—— The Daily Observation State of Artist Online Exhibition, DSWH Culture Technology, Guangzhou

PROVENANCE
O2art Space, Beijing
Acquired directly by present Asian collector from the above

Have No Fear of the Clouds that May Block Our Sights
Huang Yishan's Space Philosophy, Representative Artist of 80s Generation

“Visible things always hide other visible things.”
——Rene Magritte

Entering the 14th year of creation, the introverted Huang Yishan never loses his calmness and determination far beyond his age, which is unexpected yet reasonable, just like his paintings. Huang graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. In contrast to the mainstream of classical realism at the time, he preferred to introduce multiple materials such as wood panels and shaping pastes to construct reality in the virtual, showing his profound thinking of “art history and characteristics of painting”, which shines him out from his peers. His works have been exhibited repeatedly and collected in institutions such as the Guangdong Provincial Art Museum, He Xiangning Art Museum, White Rabbit Gallery in Australia, and many other institutions.

The Sky of Art History, the Cloud that Breaks the Logic

A Theory of Cloud presented this time belongs to Huang's representative “painting in painting” form, constructing an image space of turmoil. Artist embeds two classic paintings into an exhibition hall-like work by splicing up and down. Two “windows” suggest the vast virtual space behind, while the two figures in the front become the epitome of the viewer, just like the “reversal” of the eyes in René Magritte's The False Mirror.

The French art historian Hubert Damisch once came up with the famous Théorie du Nuage, pointing out that with the development of perspective in the Renaissance, the “blind spot” of perspective. The theory reveals that every system has its flaws and demonstrates the changes in art history and the close connection between art and scientific conditions. This concept close to positivism is secretly consistent with the image in A Theory of Cloud. Huang appropriates the “cloudy sky”, the core image in Magritte's Reconnaissance without End, and turns it to a painting hanging on the wall, with two men in black removed from the original context. This kind of change that seems to restore the normal spatial relationship creates a new illusory space given the existence of blue and green planes, which involves the viewers in the logical transformation of concrete and abstract, space and plane. A Theory of Cloud shows: Although the existence of clouds cannot be ignored, when the viewer really focuses on the clouds in the picture, it dodges the sharp gaze and leads people into the unknown depths.

The Ultimate Perfection, the Game of Painting

If you appreciate A Theory of Cloud closely, you will be amazed at the artist's breakthrough and improvement in technique. He fills the material with more dimensional sensory resonance and emotional memory, which weakens the boundary between the real and the illusion without any trace. By attaching the sculpture form to the painting, he breaks the visual habit of traditional painting. Huang slowly presents us the precise composition design, meticulous detailing, and specific and perceptible material combinations, creating a real trap in the painting space, becoming This is not a pipe in the new era paintings.

Price estimate:
HKD: 160,000 - 260,000
USD: 20,600 - 33,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 420,000