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Lot Essay
Ai Xuan: A Dignified Innocence
During the 11 years as the artist-in-residence in the Chengdu military district in the 1970s, Ai often went sketching in Tibet, and gathered a deep understanding of the local way of life. As the artist has described, "Tibet is a place that exerts a sense of immense and insurmountable power. It is immutable and solemn, people often feel powerless and helpless when facing it. K I borrow this state of the place to express my personal feelings". The reason why Ai chose Tibet as his main theme due to the ways in which it evoked his own philosophical view of mankind's relationship to the environment and the fragile insignificance of human beings. The obstacles faced by the protagonists within his paintings reflect Ai's own take on his personal living experience and understanding of existence.
Since 1983, Ai shifted his creative focus away from the lives of the villagers to the far away plateaus; innocent Tibetan children and young girls became the main subject through which the inner world of the artist can be expressed. Created in 1987, Tibetan Girl (Lot 2221), is among the earliest works within this new series. The girl, wearing a thick black cotton-padded jacket, stares directly and fearlessly at the viewer. The expression in her eyes reveals a level of maturity beyond her years. The blankness and depth of the background create a solemn atmosphere. As the temporal and spatial elements have been eliminated, the spiritual feeling emanating from the protagonist becomes our central focal point. Ai displays human beings in their most innocent, truthful and dignified state. Created in 2000, A Cold Winter (Lot 2125), a highlight from the Anna Maria Jagdfeld Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art, shows a snow-covered land and vast sky as its background, creating a sense of void and emptiness, a place frozen in time. Ai placed the little girl alone amidst the snow in the centre of the painting, occupying a large portion of the visual space. With his skillful virtuosity, he focuses on the facial expression of the little girl, rendered in delicate brush strokes. The innocence of her eyes and aloof expression create a sharp contrast with the common image of a na?ve and cheery child. This prompts a sense of empathy from the viewers, as they wonder what the little girl is thinking about. Ai added in the scene a malamute that is looking backward, a further signal of a life lived close to the elements. Keeping guard to each other, they represent an intimate relationship between the two, signifying the connection between humans and organisms with nature. The painting is like a parable, hidden in the simple-yet-profound plot is Ai's passionate desire for exploration and meaning in life.
During the 11 years as the artist-in-residence in the Chengdu military district in the 1970s, Ai often went sketching in Tibet, and gathered a deep understanding of the local way of life. As the artist has described, "Tibet is a place that exerts a sense of immense and insurmountable power. It is immutable and solemn, people often feel powerless and helpless when facing it. K I borrow this state of the place to express my personal feelings". The reason why Ai chose Tibet as his main theme due to the ways in which it evoked his own philosophical view of mankind's relationship to the environment and the fragile insignificance of human beings. The obstacles faced by the protagonists within his paintings reflect Ai's own take on his personal living experience and understanding of existence.
Since 1983, Ai shifted his creative focus away from the lives of the villagers to the far away plateaus; innocent Tibetan children and young girls became the main subject through which the inner world of the artist can be expressed. Created in 1987, Tibetan Girl (Lot 2221), is among the earliest works within this new series. The girl, wearing a thick black cotton-padded jacket, stares directly and fearlessly at the viewer. The expression in her eyes reveals a level of maturity beyond her years. The blankness and depth of the background create a solemn atmosphere. As the temporal and spatial elements have been eliminated, the spiritual feeling emanating from the protagonist becomes our central focal point. Ai displays human beings in their most innocent, truthful and dignified state. Created in 2000, A Cold Winter (Lot 2125), a highlight from the Anna Maria Jagdfeld Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art, shows a snow-covered land and vast sky as its background, creating a sense of void and emptiness, a place frozen in time. Ai placed the little girl alone amidst the snow in the centre of the painting, occupying a large portion of the visual space. With his skillful virtuosity, he focuses on the facial expression of the little girl, rendered in delicate brush strokes. The innocence of her eyes and aloof expression create a sharp contrast with the common image of a na?ve and cheery child. This prompts a sense of empathy from the viewers, as they wonder what the little girl is thinking about. Ai added in the scene a malamute that is looking backward, a further signal of a life lived close to the elements. Keeping guard to each other, they represent an intimate relationship between the two, signifying the connection between humans and organisms with nature. The painting is like a parable, hidden in the simple-yet-profound plot is Ai's passionate desire for exploration and meaning in life.