1994
Back Beyond The New Generation By Huang Zhuan
To the content aspect the image concerns, Guangzhou based artist, Deng Jianjin’s works are close to the
New Generation Art popular in the north China. The spirit of his works is set in the situation which is
related to the personal living state and life reality. The repeated emergence of the painter himself, his
friends and family in his works adds rich colors of autobiography to this concern.
However, obviously, his attitude to life is not purely sensory, autistic, negative or cynical, even not
neutral. At least, according to the painter’s statement, the motivation of the concern is “re-propose the
issue of interaction between people and society and the new objective for reflection”, to show an ideal
of “overcome loneliness, overcome negative, overcome impetuousness.” (Deng Jianjin’s Readme). I
think basing on this starting point for thinking, he keeps the proper distance with the new generation
art whose attitude to life is straightforward, graphic, artificial and evasive. In such works, “Rooftop”
and “Peripatetic”, we can see these contradictions- the author’s image typically with the state of new
generation is set in an ultra-realistic spatial structure like Delvaux’s style, in the low-keyed and gloomy
mood, the easy and pleasant female image not only restrains the spread of the bored feeling, but also
enhances the emotion to be an ideal and introspective humor. It’s just this contradiction of reality and
surrealism, sense and reason, as well as representationalism and abstractism supposes a visual suspense
and humanism significance. Different with the new generation artists, he seems unwilling to agree
with boredom, indulge in boredom, or enjoy boredom. He suggests boredom, but he cautiously hopes to
find a reasonable logic for this unavoidable boredom. More recently, he begins to combine consciously
personal experience and particular community culture. Of course, it doesn’t mean the increasing
number of people emerging in his works. In the works such as Watching Aircraft, Guest, To Be A Happy
Person, and Happy Four Seasons, the personal relationship is natural, harmonious and humanism
rather than indifferent, sick or alienated. Obviously, although his art is not of the quality of cultural
criticism, it’s real, healthy and idealized.