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.
 1994