| Wang Guangyi was born on 1957 Born in Harbin, | | | | and commercialised present. Stylistically |
| China. He lives and works in Beijing, China. | | | | merging the government enforced aesthetic of |
| The paintings of Wang Guangyi belong to the | | | | agitprop with the kitsch sensibility of |
| category of Chinese contemporary art termed | | | | American pop, Wang's work adopts the cold-war |
| Political Pop: work that appropriates the | | | | language of the 60s to ironically examine the |
| visual tropes of the propaganda of the | | | | contemporary polemics of globalisation. |
| Cultural Revolution, reworking them in the | | | | |
| flat, colorful style of American Pop. | | | | Through his critique, Wang's paintings weave |
| | | | intricate narratives, implicating the role of |
| To understand the works of artists engaged in | | | | the artist as an active participant (both as |
| this practice, it is important to recognize | | | | subjugator and subservient) in economic and |
| the significance and specificity of the | | | | social policy. Wang treads a very delicate |
| images they are using to fashion their work. | | | | line between moral dictum and capitalist |
| Without this knowledge, the work of artists | | | | endorsement; the interpretation of his |
| like Wang Guangyi may be reduced to a mere | | | | paintings alternates with the subjectivity of |
| aestheticization of the experiences of the | | | | context. Amalgamating, confusing, and |
| Cultural Revolution, a view which threatens | | | | blurring opposing ideological beliefs, Wang's |
| to limit the discussion of these works to | | | | billboard sized canvases readily sell out |
| their formal elements, foreclosing more | | | | national valour, while simultaneously |
| important ideological and historical | | | | devaluing status symbol luxury for the |
| questions that must be raised. | | | | proletariat cause. |
| | | | |
| It is perhaps equally essential, particularly | | | | Certainly, the vast legacy of propaganda that |
| for Western audiences, to keep in mind the | | | | resulted from this period will continue to |
| dominance that the Maoist regime held over | | | | impact artists interested in critically |
| visual culture and artistic production in | | | | examining China's recent visual history. |
| China from 1949 to 1976, a control that | | | | After all, these images were more than simply |
| reached a near totality between 1966 and | | | | popular; for a time, they were the only ones |
| 1972, during the Gang of Four's reign [i]. | | | | allowed. |
| | | | |
| Wang Guangyi's paintings combine the | | | | Conclusions: |
| ideological power of communist propaganda | | | | |
| with the seductive allure of advertising. | | | | Wang Guangyi had already established his own |
| Juxtaposing revolutionary images with | | | | style and the impact of the work had won him |
| consumer logos, Wang's canvases provocate | | | | a strong reputation in Chinese art circles. |
| with their duplicitous message, highlighting | | | | |
| the conflict between China's political past | | | | What to Do Next... |