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Lot Essay
Ye Yongqing studied oil painting at Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts between 1978-1982, when Native Realism was the absolute trend. Instead of following in everyone's foot steps, he had taken on interests in a more natural and modest style that was full of his own character. As a participant in the 85 Movement, along with Zhang Xiaogang and Mao Xuhui, Ye formed a new South West Art Group - one that was dedicated to expressing actual life experiences in a time of turmoil. In 1987, he started breaking through limitations of composition by experimenting on frames as well as forms employeed by different cultures. Altar, fresco, Japanese Byobu, and Chinese style framing have offered him unlimited access to different materials. A free-spirited artistic style thus sprouted.
Proof of Love (Lot 521) has a well-structured yet harmoniously balanced plan of composition. Ye Yongqing uses pieces from newspapers as collage added on top of the oil paint, thus inauguraitng fascinating visual effects similar to wrinkles. This particular spatial result completely subverts the linear perspective traditioned to Realist paintings. Appearing to be not just flat but distorted and out of proportion, the centre figure embodies the artist's subjectivism. The rectangular block fixed in the middle of the image evokes a solemn mood priviledged to the classical appraoch of painting, while simultaneously constituting an exciting world of geometry filled with red crosses, arrows, dots, and two horizontal brushstrokes in white. In this very private world, the centre figure - a man donating blood to the patient on the gurney via a tracheostomy tube - is a direct opposite of the seemingly helpless and numb patients in Zeng Fanzhi's Hospital Series. It is the sense of warmth, trust, sweetnes, and hope depicted that does justice to the very title of this painting.
Proof of Love (Lot 521) has a well-structured yet harmoniously balanced plan of composition. Ye Yongqing uses pieces from newspapers as collage added on top of the oil paint, thus inauguraitng fascinating visual effects similar to wrinkles. This particular spatial result completely subverts the linear perspective traditioned to Realist paintings. Appearing to be not just flat but distorted and out of proportion, the centre figure embodies the artist's subjectivism. The rectangular block fixed in the middle of the image evokes a solemn mood priviledged to the classical appraoch of painting, while simultaneously constituting an exciting world of geometry filled with red crosses, arrows, dots, and two horizontal brushstrokes in white. In this very private world, the centre figure - a man donating blood to the patient on the gurney via a tracheostomy tube - is a direct opposite of the seemingly helpless and numb patients in Zeng Fanzhi's Hospital Series. It is the sense of warmth, trust, sweetnes, and hope depicted that does justice to the very title of this painting.