The China Project

139 Three Decades: The Contemporary Chinese Collection ZHANG Xiaogang Zhang Xiaogang’s ‘Bloodline: The big family’ series, commmenced in 1993, caught the attention of the international art world for its unique encapsulation of a society in the grip of a post-Mao communist era. The series marked a distinct departure from Zhang’s earlier, expressionistic style of painting, while continuing his exploration of the individual within the framework of Chinese society. These portraits are intimate insights into the personal stories of China’s people, revealing the contrast between the ‘ideal’ harmony of public life and the hidden pain of the individual. The title of the series refers to the ‘big family’ of society or nationality, while the paintings themselves focus on small family groups. Zhang has said that: This artistic style allowed me to investigate what exactly this relationship is and the particular contradictions and mutually dependent relationships that exist within society. I wanted to research the question: while caught in the middle of these complex and complicated relationships, what is humanity’s response and emotions? 1 Three comrades 1994 is a large-scale portrait featuring three similar-looking figures. Inspired by old photographs — rare and precious possessions due to the wholesale destruction of family photographs in China during the fervour of the Cultural Revolution 2 — and using his own family and friends as subjects, Zhang comments on a range of political and social issues in China. His work touches on the enormous loss that comes with the erasure of collective memory and the destruction of personal histories — he uses his paintings to create a set of new histories. Zhang’s subjects are generally painted either from the waist up or as closely focused heads, and usually in Mao-era uniform. The paintings’ backgrounds are monochromatic and indistinct, making it difficult to locate the figures within a particular social group. Thin red threads — the literal bloodlines of family connections, the real ties of heart and head — feature in each work. These threads also echo the creases and scratches of age that are characteristic of old photographs. Zhang’s focus on the family group enables him to consider the social forces playing upon the individual. The roles played by the state, the collective, the family and ancestors in constructing one’s sense of identity and place are strongly implied in his paintings. While family photographs are seen to convey happiness and unity, the subtle critique in Zhang’s work emerges with the examination of understated detail: the construction of the subjects within the frame; the similarity of their clothes; the repetition of detail over a number of canvases; the use of colour in very controlled patches; and the carefully dictated expressions on their faces. These portraits present images of people that are larger than life, their faces looming over and confronting the viewer. By working with portraiture, Zhang employs a style that has a long and familiar history. Three comrades is a subtle painting whose subject matter is understated. The three figures could be male or female, brothers or sisters or, indeed, the fractured portrait of a single person. This ambiguity is central to Zhang Xiaogang’s work, leading the viewer to question the construction of identity within the context of contemporary China. endnotes 1 Zhang Xiaogang, quoted in Julia Colman, ‘Big Family: The later work of Zhang Xiaogang’, in Zhang Xiaogang [exhibition catalogue], Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland, 2008, p.155. 2 Anthony Healy, ‘Gentle reminders’. World Art , no.3, 1996, p.16. Three comrades (from ‘Bloodline: The big family’ series) 1994 Oil on canvas / 150 x 180cm / Purchased 1996. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation This work is displayed in ‘Zhang Xiaogang: Shadows in the Soul’.