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Lot Essay
One could not have a thorough understanding of the significance of Luo Zhongli in modern Chinese art history without a fundamental knowledge of how Chinese paintings developed from the 1950's to the 1970's. It was during this period in China that art became wedded to political ideology, and artists were only allowed to sing the praises of heroes with propagandizing subject matters, images of guerilla warfare, or of Mao organizing labour movements with oppressed peasants and miners. Peasants have been shaped in accordance with political correctness and uniformly portrayed as great heroes, who are not only 'high, big, whole' beings but also embodying the values of being 'bright', 'red', and 'light'.
It was not until the end of the 1970's, and after China began to undergo major economic and social reforms, that new "truths" in the representation of peasants were possible. Luo Zhongli and his contemporaries were among those who managed to break free from political indoctrination. 'Scar Art', which emerged after the Cultural Revolution, was an art form which aimed to reflect the reality of Chinese society by critically revealing the darker side of the revolution. Luo's 'social realist' works on peasants' lives bear the trademark of these times, marking the historic turn of Chinese art away from didacticism and towards the deeper social, personal and artistic truths.
Winter (Lot 2129), Village Restaurant (Lot 2130) and A Heavy Downpour (Lot 2131) were all created in early 1980s and portray the country life in Daba Mountain from different perspectives. In order to create an atmosphere in his paintings, Luo made use of light to convey emotions, as in the romantic paintings in the 19th century, and lead the audience into a picturesque world. With the artist's exquisite oil painting technique, every detail is vividly captured, such as the hazy moon-lit atmosphere found in Winter, the snow scattering in the sky, and the countrywoman's warm breath in the hard winter. In the chilly wintery night, the countrywoman carries a large bundle of hay to the cowshed to keep her cows warm. Luo deliberately cast the light on the woman's head, as if she with a halo, to compliment the loving care she shows. The composition of Village Restaurant is simple yet powerful, the countrywoman puts aside her farm implements, and sits at a square wooden table with simple food and two pairs of chopsticks, suggesting that the woman is waiting for her companion. With the artist's superb realistic painting technique, the simple and natural country life is manifested through depiction of the wooden wall, table and benches in the restaurant, and the bold deep grain of the timber.
"Water" often bears considerable symbolic and philosophical meaning in Luo's paintings. It can appear in the form as a river, stream or rain as in Heavy Downpour; in the village, and the artist shows the ways in which a peasants' harvest and their daily life are greatly determined by water. In Heavy Downpour, the background is a village hut, while the foreground is a large empty space depicted as the water-logged area resulted from heavy rain, and several vague curves are added to suggest the flowing water; rainwater is dripping off the thatch roof, showing the intensity of the heavy downpour. All the animals take shelter under the room from the heavy rain, and only the heroine can be seen sprinting barefoot, shielding off the rain with her little handkerchief, as if she is hurrying to protect of the crops in the field. This seemingly innocuous scene is shown with warmth and good humor, demonstrating not only Luo's great affection for country life, but also for his understanding of the humble heroics inherent to that reality.
It was not until the end of the 1970's, and after China began to undergo major economic and social reforms, that new "truths" in the representation of peasants were possible. Luo Zhongli and his contemporaries were among those who managed to break free from political indoctrination. 'Scar Art', which emerged after the Cultural Revolution, was an art form which aimed to reflect the reality of Chinese society by critically revealing the darker side of the revolution. Luo's 'social realist' works on peasants' lives bear the trademark of these times, marking the historic turn of Chinese art away from didacticism and towards the deeper social, personal and artistic truths.
Winter (Lot 2129), Village Restaurant (Lot 2130) and A Heavy Downpour (Lot 2131) were all created in early 1980s and portray the country life in Daba Mountain from different perspectives. In order to create an atmosphere in his paintings, Luo made use of light to convey emotions, as in the romantic paintings in the 19th century, and lead the audience into a picturesque world. With the artist's exquisite oil painting technique, every detail is vividly captured, such as the hazy moon-lit atmosphere found in Winter, the snow scattering in the sky, and the countrywoman's warm breath in the hard winter. In the chilly wintery night, the countrywoman carries a large bundle of hay to the cowshed to keep her cows warm. Luo deliberately cast the light on the woman's head, as if she with a halo, to compliment the loving care she shows. The composition of Village Restaurant is simple yet powerful, the countrywoman puts aside her farm implements, and sits at a square wooden table with simple food and two pairs of chopsticks, suggesting that the woman is waiting for her companion. With the artist's superb realistic painting technique, the simple and natural country life is manifested through depiction of the wooden wall, table and benches in the restaurant, and the bold deep grain of the timber.
"Water" often bears considerable symbolic and philosophical meaning in Luo's paintings. It can appear in the form as a river, stream or rain as in Heavy Downpour; in the village, and the artist shows the ways in which a peasants' harvest and their daily life are greatly determined by water. In Heavy Downpour, the background is a village hut, while the foreground is a large empty space depicted as the water-logged area resulted from heavy rain, and several vague curves are added to suggest the flowing water; rainwater is dripping off the thatch roof, showing the intensity of the heavy downpour. All the animals take shelter under the room from the heavy rain, and only the heroine can be seen sprinting barefoot, shielding off the rain with her little handkerchief, as if she is hurrying to protect of the crops in the field. This seemingly innocuous scene is shown with warmth and good humor, demonstrating not only Luo's great affection for country life, but also for his understanding of the humble heroics inherent to that reality.