Artwork Description

Title: Shout
Artist: Shen Jingdong
Date: 2018
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 19.7 x 19.7 in (50 x 50 cm)

Artwork Identification
Shout by Shen Jingdong is a humorous and visually striking reinterpretation of Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream. In this version, Shen replaces the tormented figure with a stylized character bearing his signature glossy, mannequin-like facial features—a recurring motif throughout his work. The green swirling background echoes Munch’s emotionally charged environment while maintaining Shen’s bold, graphic aesthetic.

Artistic Style and Influences
Shen Jingdong is known for his “Hero” series, which fuses pop art sensibilities with social commentary on identity, authority, and contemporary life in China. His figures—often uniformed, hollow-eyed, and plastically rendered—reflect on state imagery, personal memory, and societal structure. In Shout, Shen draws on global visual culture by referencing a universally recognized image and infusing it with the playful detachment and ironic commentary typical of his oeuvre.

Historical Context
Emerging from a background in the military and drama troupe system, Shen’s art critiques and reimagines cultural archetypes. Painted in 2018, Shout marks a moment in which his work transcends Chinese cultural references to engage with broader, global symbols of existential anxiety. By blending East and West, high art and cartoonish styling, Shen adds a fresh, sometimes unsettling lens to traditional icons.

Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The surface shows no signs of damage, and colors retain their vibrancy and clarity.

Artistic Significance
Shout is emblematic of Shen Jingdong’s ability to balance satire, homage, and critique in a single frame. By referencing The Scream—a quintessential expression of modern alienation—Shen injects levity and cultural commentary through his own symbolic visual language. The piece is both an accessible entry point for audiences unfamiliar with his broader body of work and a resonant commentary for those attuned to his themes of identity, heroism, and modern dislocation.