Artwork Description

Title: Mirage No.6
Artist: Mao Tongqiang
Date: 2006
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 86.6 x 70.9 in (220 x 180 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Mirage No.6 is a monumental oil painting by Mao Tongqiang, executed in 2006. The composition presents a lone male figure suspended in a saturated blue expanse, holding sprigs of flowers, while vibrant fireworks burst overhead. The central figure, stoic and expressionless, is painted with detailed realism in contrast to the abstract, dreamlike quality of the background. Ethereal trees fade into the mist, enhancing the work’s spectral atmosphere. The painting evokes a surreal and ambiguous sense of space and time, suspended between memory and illusion.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This work exemplifies Mao Tongqiang’s interest in blending representational and symbolic elements within a psychologically charged visual field. The use of luminous color fields, surreal iconography, and soft-edged forms reflects a lineage of Chinese contemporary painting that fuses traditional figuration with conceptual experimentation. The contrast between the realistic human figure and the expressive, abstracted surroundings contributes to a tension that is central to Mao’s artistic language, exploring identity, isolation, and the uncanny.

3. Historical Context
Completed in 2006, Mirage No.6 emerges from the post-2000s generation of Chinese artists reckoning with national memory and personal identity in the aftermath of rapid modernization. Mao Tongqiang, whose work spans installation, painting, and conceptual practice, often interrogates truth, perception, and the construction of history. In Mirage No.6, the juxtaposition of celebration (fireworks) with detachment (the solitary figure) may comment on disillusionment amidst surface-level euphoria—an echo of China’s shifting socio-cultural landscape in the early 21st century.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The surface shows no evidence of cracking, discoloration, or restoration. The canvas remains taut and well-framed, preserving the vibrancy and atmospheric depth of the original pigments.

6. Artistic Significance
Mirage No.6 represents a pivotal moment in Mao Tongqiang’s oeuvre, showcasing his command of scale and his ability to convey emotional nuance through minimalistic but charged imagery. The work’s dreamlike tension between visibility and absence mirrors the broader philosophical inquiries found throughout Mao’s interdisciplinary practice. As a piece that bridges personal narrative with collective resonance, it holds particular significance within the discourse of contemporary Chinese art and global surrealist traditions.