Li Guijun

each signed in Chinese and Pinyin and dated 2002, framed

Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia 
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China

Ta Kung Pao, Hong Kong, Ta Kung Pao Inc, 5 November 2002, D3
Modern Home, Hong Kong, In Express Media Limited, 13 December 2002, Issue 385, p. 166
Li Gui Jun, Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 142-143
Beijing Weekend, China, China Daily Group, 28 January 2005, front page

This set of work is generally in good condition. Please note that they were not examined under ultraviolet light and out of its frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It's a Bit Like Religion, and a Bit Like a Love Affair - She and They of Li Guijun

In the one hundred years of its phylogeny in China, Chinese artists have studied western oil painting deeply and meticulously, giving new life to a path long regarded by the Western world as having been exhausted. Over the past thirty years of development in contemporary art, Chinese oil painting has undergone innumerable conceptual changes and witnessed the rise and fall of trend after trend. During this time, Chinese contemporary realism served as a tireless force of persistence and exploration in the language of traditional oil painting. As one of the early pioneers and members of the realist movement, Li Guijun – in his diligence, and unwavering support and construction of the language of painting – has become an influential figure in the world of Chinese contemporary oil painting. Describing his relationship with painting, Li says, "It's a bit like religion, and a bit like a love affair." Indeed, to survey his artistic oeuvre of the past twenty years is to see evidence of this ever-present faith and passion.

In 1985, Li, a first year college student at the time, entered the China Youth Art Exhibition with his work, Studio 140. A prizewinner, he was immediately launched into the spotlight as one of the most influential young artists of the 85 New Wave Movement. Since then, he has struck a balance between concrete, objective images and a rational consideration of social realities, establishing a creative direction that "continuously vacillates between and explores symbolism and aestheticism, as well as objects and language." This type of exploration – particularly his symbolic representation of realist themes – has led to obvious differences between him and the earlier generation of realism painters. This symbolism technique is particularly notable in Li's 2002 quadriptych painting Eat, Drink, Play and Be Merry (Lot 19).

Quadriptychs are very uncommon among Li's works. Through using images as definitions, Li breaks down the idiom Eat, Drink, Play and Be Merry while vividly portraying the actions, creating a rhetorical relationship like a folding screen or the rhythm of pianwen, or parallel prose. In the harmonious relationship between the quaint sense of form with the Eastern-style scene, props, and conventional subjects, the artist conveys deeper cultural meanings and social connotations. "She and they" is a proposition that runs through all of Li's works. Striving to create resonance through a beautiful medium, this type of poetic expression towards beautiful women comes from the legacy of classical painting. "In his blood is the influence of many extraordinary painters – from all eras, all places, the most familiar being the pre-Raphaelite artists. Their use of light, of texture, their infatuation with myriad types of women have allowed viewers to experience realism paintings as an emotional medium, a medium that can bestow beauty in a blade of grass, a single cloud, a mood, a scene, or a narrative."

Li explains, "It is not my objective to move viewers by relying on images depicting concrete life pleasures." Instead, what his creations communicate is often a symbolic intention that transcends the objective image. In Eat, Drink, Play and Be Merry, Li carefully breaks up the scene, while allowing the screen, people, and props to remain connected on a continuous visual axis, not only intensifying the level of abstraction in composition, but also reserving a small path for the viewer to position themselves within the painting. This transcends the communication of concrete, objective images, continuing along a consistent conceptual track while steering the viewer towards a wider conceptual space.