Considered one of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese art, Fang Lijun dedicated his paintings and woodcuts to the cynical vision of the Cultural Revolution in China and incorporates his passion for art in modern work. His dreamlike depictions of repetitive and novel figures tell a story of rebellion and meaningless existence that young Chinese felt due to the strong impact of China's rapid development towards modernity. Leading the Cynical Realism art movement that began in 1989, Lijun uses his experience during the Cultural Revolution to create images that define the perplexities of changing society. His position in these times created a path for him to shape his artistic visions and his understanding of the ethics and morality of human beings in the world. This dedication to the reactions surrounding the Revolution has had a successful track record of attracting the attention of viewers on a global scale. Before the Cynical Realism movement began, the revolution became a disastrous plan put in place to revitalize the revolutionary spirit. of Chinese leaders with the youth assembly who were ordered to get rid of the “old” culture and those who did not support the new revolution. The entire uprising led to total economic decline and failure of educational systems, as well as the loss of faith of many Chinese citizens in their government. After Mao Zedong's death, Chinese people, especially artists, were beginning to see how far China was behind the rest of the world due to Mao's desire for a “self-sufficient” China (Smith 16). Art institutions were previously forced to emphasize strictly social realism and the study of representational work. Realizing… the medium of the paper… the movement created by the raindrops. While Fang's use of raindrops has no particular meaning, they create a source of clarity for the figures. The emotions on their faces all have a sense of joy, the undeniable satire that Fang has used throughout his work (Lee). Fang Lijun's dedication to explaining his passion for individualism through stylistic advancements has given him the opportunity to touch the artistic passions of people around the world. He is easily identified as one of the most outstanding Chinese contemporary artists to date and continues to produce works based on his success. There is no doubt that he transformed the idea of what it means to be an individual stuck in a conforming society. Fang's expression continues to grow and appear in his work and he is proud of what he has been able to do for creative expression in China.
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