Artwork Description

Title:One of the Figurers

Artist
Zhan Yang

Date
2016

Medium:
Oil on canvas

Dimensions
78.7 x 59.1 in (200 x 150 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
One of the Figurers (2016) is a dynamic oil painting by Zhan Yang that confronts the viewer with a vivid explosion of color and symbolism. At its center, a woman dressed in a feline-themed outfit crouches in a theatrical pose before a surreal arrangement of towering cacti. Radiating bands of fluorescent color emanate from behind, creating a pulsating optical backdrop that enhances the theatricality and tension of the figure’s pose. Both humorous and provocative, the work questions contemporary iconography, exoticism, and performance.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Zhan Yang’s work in this piece straddles photorealism and pop surrealism, merging painterly finesse with dazzling, high-impact chromatic design. The central figure’s lifelike rendering contrasts with the near-psychedelic flatness of the surrounding rainbow rays and stylized cacti, invoking comparisons to Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Yue Minjun. The erotic playfulness of the subject is infused with ironic detachment, characteristic of post-1980s Chinese contemporary art’s engagement with consumerism, identity, and spectacle.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2016, this painting belongs to a critical period in Chinese contemporary art where artists increasingly embraced visual maximalism and conceptual satire. Yang, living and exhibiting in Germany, continued to evolve a language that fuses Eastern figuration with Western postmodernism. The Title: One of the Figurers suggests the interchangeable nature of identity in a media-saturated age, where roles and personas are donned like costumes. The bright cacti may further hint at themes of artificiality and discomfort beneath glamour.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The surface is clean and stable, with no notable signs of wear or damage. The colors remain bold and saturated, and there are no conservation concerns reported.

6. Artistic Significance
As a vibrant and thought-provoking example of Zhan Yang’s figural work, One of the Figurers illustrates the artist’s complex engagement with representation, fantasy, and cultural hybridity. Its synthesis of realistic human portraiture with stylized visual motifs speaks to contemporary dialogues about gender, performance, and commodified beauty. This piece stands as a bold statement in Yang’s oeuvre and offers collectors a compelling, high-impact addition to any contemporary art collection.