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Lot Essay
When Zhang Xiaogang began his Bloodline series in the 1990s, babies were the main subject and the source of this inspiration was the artist's new-born daughter. Symbolically, babies represent all the beauty and new possibilities that come with life. It is also a metaphor for Zhang artistic breakthrough, and the budding Chinese contemporary art scene. The bright red hue that envelops the baby breaks away from realism. Red is a symbol of vitality, and happiness and joyful celebrations in traditional Chinese culture. A very fitting colour for a baby. The baby's red skin can be viewed as genetically inherited, and his parents are likely to be carrying the same red blood. Red is also the colour of the revolutionary spirit, hence a red baby can be interpreted as a symbol of a revolutionary society and its era, suggesting a heretitary political system.
Zhang Xiaogang's earlier babies, regardless of their color, are usually sitting on a chair, except for Red Baby (Lot 48), where he is lying on a scale. The baby's gaze is fixated towards the right hand side beyond the canvas, as if focusing on something the viewer cannot see. His index finger points at his own belly, at the still-attached umbilical cord. It not only tells us that the baby is new-born, but, more importantly, it conveys the idea that he is physically disconnected from his mother and his family, he is still unable to break away from the political and familial ties he is born into. Under the traditional Chinese belief that sons should be favoured, this new-born boy will certainly become the centre of attention and carry the expectations of his family. As for the scales, they not only measure the baby's physical weight, but is an implication of the high hopes the family has for their son. The scales can further be interpreted as the tools a collectivist government uses to set their moral standards to control the masses.
The light patches on the baby are obviously larger than those in the Bloodline series, looking more like effects created by natural lighting - rather like Zhang's earlier work Portrait in Yellow (Fig. 1). From the perspective of the composition, the light patches on the baby ought to originate from the light bulb above but the light bulb is not switched on. Its darkness and coldness provides a stark contrast. In addition, the electrical cord which is a substitute for the red line in the Bloodline series, is not connected to a socket, but is lying quietly beside the baby. This illogical approach is similar to Rene Magritte's Surrealism (Fig. 2), which uses calm, still images to stir complex emotions in the viewer.
The background of Red Baby is a green wall, which is less surreal than Big Family and Amnesia and Memory. The inspiration for the green wall comes from the unchanging decor of Zhang's parents' bedroom. Such a wall in traditional society represents public space, yet when it becomes part of a Chinese home, the boundary between a public and private space blurs. This concept is akin to that in Big Family where every member of society is depicted in the same way and viewed by the same standards to form "a perfect being of this era", a perfect being who has lost individuality. While the green wall symbolises Socialism, Red Baby illustrates the genetically-inherited revolutionary spirit, fully validating Zhang's idea that "the concept of collectivism is too deeply-rooted in our minds, becoming very difficult to break away from."
Zhang Xiaogang's earlier babies, regardless of their color, are usually sitting on a chair, except for Red Baby (Lot 48), where he is lying on a scale. The baby's gaze is fixated towards the right hand side beyond the canvas, as if focusing on something the viewer cannot see. His index finger points at his own belly, at the still-attached umbilical cord. It not only tells us that the baby is new-born, but, more importantly, it conveys the idea that he is physically disconnected from his mother and his family, he is still unable to break away from the political and familial ties he is born into. Under the traditional Chinese belief that sons should be favoured, this new-born boy will certainly become the centre of attention and carry the expectations of his family. As for the scales, they not only measure the baby's physical weight, but is an implication of the high hopes the family has for their son. The scales can further be interpreted as the tools a collectivist government uses to set their moral standards to control the masses.
The light patches on the baby are obviously larger than those in the Bloodline series, looking more like effects created by natural lighting - rather like Zhang's earlier work Portrait in Yellow (Fig. 1). From the perspective of the composition, the light patches on the baby ought to originate from the light bulb above but the light bulb is not switched on. Its darkness and coldness provides a stark contrast. In addition, the electrical cord which is a substitute for the red line in the Bloodline series, is not connected to a socket, but is lying quietly beside the baby. This illogical approach is similar to Rene Magritte's Surrealism (Fig. 2), which uses calm, still images to stir complex emotions in the viewer.
The background of Red Baby is a green wall, which is less surreal than Big Family and Amnesia and Memory. The inspiration for the green wall comes from the unchanging decor of Zhang's parents' bedroom. Such a wall in traditional society represents public space, yet when it becomes part of a Chinese home, the boundary between a public and private space blurs. This concept is akin to that in Big Family where every member of society is depicted in the same way and viewed by the same standards to form "a perfect being of this era", a perfect being who has lost individuality. While the green wall symbolises Socialism, Red Baby illustrates the genetically-inherited revolutionary spirit, fully validating Zhang's idea that "the concept of collectivism is too deeply-rooted in our minds, becoming very difficult to break away from."