Oil on canvas

103.5 × 111 cm. 40 3/4 × 43 3/4 in.

Dated and signed in Chinese on bottom right; signed in Chinese and dated on the reverse

LITERATURE
2005, Mao Xuhui, Xin Dong Cheng Publishing House, Beijing, p. 151
2007, New Interface 3: Searching the Future of Chinese Contemporary Art, Red Bridge Gallery, Shanghai, p. 58
2008, Road – Mao Xuhui's Paintings (1973-2007), Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Shanghai, p. 163
PROVENANCE
Red Bridge Gallery, Shanghai
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

The Ultimate Freedom of Life
Mao Xuhui's Questioning of the Spirit of the Times through the Red Gate

In February 1989, Mao Xuhui, together with artists Zhang Xiaogang and Ye Yongqing of the "Southwestern Art Research Group", participated in the China/Avant-Garde Exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. He used his signature Parents Series launched in 1988 as a showcase for his own achievements in the "85 New Wave Movement". However, the hasty cancellation of the exhibition and the social turmoil of that year caused Mao Xuhui to feel the shock of the real world. He said: "After 1989, I was not concerned with my own personal problems, and that was very important." Since August of that year, Mao Xuhui's Parents Series has taken a qualitative leap in both form and content. The faces of the "Parents" have been streamlined into geometrical icons full of symbolism, and the dramatic tensions of the perspective scenes have conveyed the historical experience and realistic personalities that the parents have reflected. The Parent Series - A Red Gate No.2, which was completed in December 1989 and is currently for the autumn auction, is a manifestation of Mao's profound thoughts during this period.

In this work, Mao Xuhui recalls the solemnity of the red gate in ancient Chinese architecture, and reassembles and transforms it into a thick and expressive block of deep colours, like the striking abstraction of German artist Gerhard Richter's "squeegee method". The mottled texture of vermilion, Ruo green, beige and brown creates vivid associations with the ancient rhythms of history, and explores the dimension of history from an open perspective. In the tunnel of time, "Parents" gradually emerges like a mountain, representing the god-like majesty. However, compared to the figure of "Parents" in The Parent Series - A Red Gate No.1, Mao Xuhui has intentionally simplified his silhouette in this work, blurring the authority he represents, and gradually blending it into the deep background through the horizontal and vertical radiation of the light beams, suggesting that it is inevitable that it will eventually pass away. Through the creation and destruction of the image of the "Parents" in the red gate, the work explores the ultimate freedom of life. The red gate is not only a symbol of the prosperity of the ancients, but also a new channel for the future generations. It allows us to look back at history and examine the present situation of life. With the modern spirit of "questioning the past and the present", it evokes eternal discernment in our hearts, from which we can move forward to a new journey!

Price estimate:
HKD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 25,600 – 38,500