| Zhang Xiaogang was born on 1958 in Kunming, | | | | this era. Because Zhang's footing is within |
| Yunnan province,CHINA. Zhang Xiaogang's | | | | the academy system, therefore the system may |
| paintings engage with the notion of identity | | | | also claim credit for his success. |
| within the Chinese culture of collectivism. | | | | |
| Basing his work around the concept of | | | | Zhang has achieved this by bringing together |
| 'family' -immediate, extended, and societal - | | | | a number of polarities. Zhang uses a |
| Zhang's portraits depict an endless genealogy | | | | technique based on western academic realism |
| of imagined forebears and progenitors, each | | | | to suggest unreality and illusion; he |
| unnervingly similar and distinguished by | | | | portrays a private insular world by means of |
| minute difference. Often painted in black and | | | | a public artistic language, hinting at |
| white, Zhang's portraits translate the | | | | unspoken public trauma through individuals' |
| language of photography into paint. Drawing | | | | secrets. Over twenty years, Zhang has managed |
| from the generic quality of formal photo | | | | to resolve his own stylistic passage from an |
| studio poses and greyscale palette, Zhang's | | | | early expressionistic period to a form of |
| figures are nameless and timeless: a series | | | | classicism.This solution makes a cultural |
| of individual histories represented within | | | | connection with the pioneering era when |
| the strict confines of formula. | | | | western painting technique was first |
| | | | successfully borrowed by popular art to |
| Zhang Xiaogang's work is usually based on its | | | | portray the figure, when it was adapted to |
| iconography and style, which reveal a strong | | | | mass culture in the spirit of popular folk |
| consistency whether the works are studied | | | | taste. It is therefore close to traditional |
| from the angle of artistic intention or | | | | Chinese taste, hence successful in making |
| personal history. If we look at the | | | | claims to be a new paradigm. |
| "phenomenon" of Zhang Xiaogang, and consider | | | | |
| elements of his art that have helped to | | | | Selected Exhibitions:- |
| establish his position in the art world, we | | | | |
| can look away from Zhang's psychological and | | | | 2000 • Max Protetch Gallery, New |
| personal history, to focus on his | | | | York |
| contributions to artistic language in | | | | |
| contemporary Chinese art. Zhang Xiaogang's | | | | 1999 • Galerie de France, Paris |
| art has become a canon of contemporary | | | | |
| Chinese oil painting, and its merits depend | | | | 1989 • Sichuan Academy of Fine |
| very much on the fact that he has found new | | | | Arts,Chongqing |
| solutions to harnessing western classical | | | | |
| academic technique (a standard in Chinese | | | | Conclusions: Zhang Xiaogang's work is |
| academies) to turn it into an indigenous | | | | usually based on its iconography and style, |
| artistic language. Zhang Xiaogang is very | | | | which reveal a strong consistency whether the |
| much a product of the Chinese art academy | | | | works are studied from the angle of artistic |
| system, and out of this heritage he has | | | | intention or personal history. He had focused |
| developed an iconography and identified a | | | | on his contributions to artistic language in |
| special sensibility that in many ways define | | | | contemporary Chinese art. |