「The Art of Collecting」Contemporary Art is a Subtraction of Ideas

The evolution of art is a process of “subtracting” ideas. Starting from focusing on the external human figures, it gradually strips away the narrative and retreats inward, ultimately settling on the contemplation and self-reflection of objects.

At the beginning of the millennium, the brush was the most direct means of expressing the silhouette of the times. Chen Yifei’s “Woman Playing Flute” captured the gentle and dignified demeanor of Eastern women with extreme classical realism, establishing it as a classic and carrying the visual expression of traditional aesthetics. Jing Kewen’s “Spring” used highly saturated colors to straightforwardly depict the simple and vigorous vitality of the youth in the 1990s.

This persistent tendency of depicting characters has reached the peak of realism in Liu Xiaodong’s “A Dying Rabbit and Nothing-to-do Men No.2”. In the picture, the indifferent passers-by and the dying rabbit in the center of the canvas create a strong contrast. As the carrier of the era’s landscape, humans also carry heavy thoughts of reality.

When art gradually breaks free from the narrative constraints of the real world, it creates a pure realm within the expressions of ordinary objects.

Zhang Enli’s “Studio” and “Three Colored Tubes” mark the turning point of this transformation. He accomplished the creative shift of “using objects as metaphors for people”, where the empty studio houses loneliness, while the three tubes are neatly arranged and restrained, seemingly being the silent and standing spiritual portraits of modern people.

In “Excess: Bottle No.5”, Geng Jianyi depicted the empty state of the object from a calm and restrained “third-person” perspective, prompting us to re-examine the boundaries of viewing itself. It was precisely through such exploration that art entered a unique spiritual realm.

“Flowers wither, flowers fall, flowers all over the sky. The red fades, the fragrance vanishes, who will pity this?” Xu Lei’s “Flowers All over the Sky” is cold yet full of philosophical thoughts. His characteristic deep blue tone acts like a barrier, isolating the noise of the mundane world. In the surreal scene of water and sky merging, beyond the concrete expression, it leaves behind an intriguing space for reflection.

This artistic transformation from complexity to simplicity finally found its conclusion in Yu Youhan’s “Abstract 20100308”. This circle symbolizes the ultimate expression of the cyclical nature of all things and the constant self-reflection.

Contemporary art creation is a process that gradually simplifies and moves from the outside to the inside. Art is also constantly reducing itself in the process of returning to its essence. The current modern and contemporary art section of SUNGARI is full of highlights and is definitely worth appreciating.

Collecting holds a world of secrets. That’s all for today. We’ll continue next time.