Artwork Description

Title: Chinese Contemporary Art History No. 5
Artist: Hua Jiming
Date: 2008
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 29.9 x 39.4 in (76 x 100 cm)

Artwork Identification:
In Chinese Contemporary Art History No. 5, Hua Jiming assembles a compelling patchwork of painterly vignettes, each referencing iconic figures, movements, and ideological symbols that shaped—and continue to shape—Chinese contemporary art and society. With signature narrative intensity, Hua juxtaposes playful pink winged figures, socialist propaganda motifs, melancholic portraits, and bold consumerist critiques. The canvas functions as both visual archive and socio-political commentary, capturing the chaotic interplay of history, memory, and identity.

Artistic Style and Influences:
Hua’s aesthetic merges the visual language of socialist realism with postmodern pop and surrealist irreverence. His imagery recalls both the monumental optimism of Cultural Revolution-era posters and the critical irony of Cynical Realism and Political Pop. In this piece, references to artists like Yue Minjun and Wang Guangyi—whose iconic "NO" and "Rolex" pastiches are directly echoed—underscore Hua’s embeddedness in a lineage of Chinese painters who critically engage with propaganda, global capitalism, and historical myth.

Historical Context:
Painted in 2008, Chinese Contemporary Art History No. 5 arrives during a time when China’s art market was entering the global spotlight, and artists were increasingly reflecting on the impact of modernization, consumerism, and the reinterpretation of tradition. Hua’s visual narrative maps the sociocultural oscillation between Maoist collectivity and post-Mao individualism, capturing tensions central to Chinese identity formation in the 21st century.

Provenance:
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation:
The painting is in very good condition, with vivid pigment saturation and an unmarred canvas surface. The structural integrity of the piece is stable and well-preserved.

Artistic Significance:
Chinese Contemporary Art History No. 5 is an incisive contribution to Hua Jiming’s series chronicling the evolution of Chinese visual culture. By placing revolutionary optimism, contemporary irony, and pop-cultural critique into a shared pictorial frame, the artist confronts the viewer with the dissonances and continuities of national memory. Hua’s work not only archives aesthetic and ideological shifts, but also reclaims agency in narrating a people’s artistic legacy—one brushstroke at a time.