Artwork Description

Title: I’m a Dragon 1
Artist: Yue Minjun
Date: 2008
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 78.7 x 97.8 in (200 x 248.5 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Yue Minjun’s I’m a Dragon 1 is an arresting example of the artist’s signature surrealist irony and visual provocation. Executed in oil on canvas at a monumental scale, the work features a hybridized, anthropomorphic figure—simultaneously dinosauric and human—grinning in exaggerated, almost grotesque laughter against a backdrop of ethereal blue sky and rolling clouds. With muscular anatomical exaggerations and the artist’s iconic laughing visage, the composition pulsates with absurdity, humor, and latent menace.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Minjun is widely recognized as a leading figure of China’s Cynical Realism movement, which emerged in the 1990s as a reaction to the disillusionment following the Tiananmen Square protests. His work blends figurative absurdism with biting social commentary, often rendering himself as a caricature in staged, impossible scenarios. The pink, rubbery texture of the creature in I’m a Dragon 1 recalls the plasticized, hyperreal skin tones frequently seen in his oeuvre, while the toothy grin echoes historical influences ranging from Pop Art to Goya-esque satire.

3. Historical Context
Created within the broader context of post-socialist China, Yue Minjun’s practice critiques the contradictions of contemporary life, especially the tension between individuality and collectivism, modernity and tradition. His laughing figures—ubiquitous in global exhibitions—serve as unsettling metaphors for cultural alienation and suppressed trauma. While undated, I’m a Dragon 1 exemplifies the artist’s mature period, wherein the grotesque becomes both a defense mechanism and a vehicle for existential reflection.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
For information regarding the provenance and authenticity of this artwork, please contact the gallery directly. Authenticity certificates and provenance documentation are available upon request.

5. Condition and Conservation
The work is in overall excellent condition, with no visible signs of structural instability or pigment loss. The surface retains a vibrant, saturated finish consistent with the artist’s preferred oil technique. Upon close inspection, no evidence of restoration or overpainting is detected. Conservation reports may be made available upon request.