Works by Li Gui Jun

Vernissage: 9 December 2004 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Exhibition: 10 December 2004 - 5 January 2005

It has been 2 years since Schoeni Art Gallery presented Li Gui Jun's last solo exhibition. In Li Gui Jun's 4^th solo exhibition with Schoeni Art Gallery, there will be 10 of his new works on show.

Li Gui Jun was born in Beijing in 1964 and graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts - Beijing, under the tutelage of Jin Shan Yi and Yang Fei Yun. Li Gui Jun has painted modern adolescent girls exclusively for over 15 years. He chooses such a medium because of the simple and disciplined environment that they live in. Caught in a period between childhood and adulthood, physically and psychologically, they are like a bud ready to blossom in a pure and loving dreamland. His 'girl-next-door' series brings the viewer into his inner self to find a moment of silence far removed from daily pressures.

The most striking feature of Li Gui Jun's figurative works is their understated sense of drama. In each portrait of a young girl, Li focuses on a moment of their daily lives, paying particular attention to detail, as seen in the meticulous rendering of the girls' vibrant dresses.

In order to achieve aesthetic excellence, Li Gui Jun has spent all his time and energy on colour, composition, structure, and particularly on the planning and manipulation of each and every detail. In this sense, every work of Li's is not a result of spontaneity. Every one of his works is a design of precision. To arrive at a composition of a painting, such as the arrangement of a plant, matching the pattern of a dress etc., down to the tiniest details, they are all arranged after much contemplation, consideration and study. For each painting, he not only prepares a lot of sketches and photos, but also selects models of different characteristics. The whole painting is carefully considered through the posture and expression, capturing a spontaneous moment. He has stressed that what he wants in his painting is not just the sum of the preparation work, but an artistic transcendence of reality. He cannot put into words how this transcendence comes about, but usually after undergoing a painful struggle for what he is looking for, the right feeling will come, giving him the happiest moments of his life.

Li Gui Jun is a pioneering artist from China who has managed to take traditional portraiture of women beyond its former boundaries with his modern and quirky style. He is one of the 13 leading Neo-Realistic artists in Beijing, who have joined together to form a group known as the Beijing Neo-Realism Group, and have had their first exhibition in the National Museum of Beijing in October this year.

Click on image for an enlarged view.

Carnation O/C, 120 x 80 cm, 2004	White Flower O/C, 90 x 65 cm, 2004
Bird of Luck O/C, 125 x 85 cm, 2003	Morning Bell O/C, 65 x 41 cm, 2004
Day Dreaming O/C, 53 x 80 cm, 2004
Red Handkerchief O/C, 65 x 65 cm, 2004	The Fan O/C, 115 x 110 cm, 2004
Pink Cloth O/C, 160 x 45 cm, 2003	Where Flowers Bloom O/C, 160 x 40 cm, 2004
Girl with Red Rose O/C, 62 x 65 cm, 2004

For further enquiries, please contact Selina Liu.

Tel: (852) 2869-8802
Fax: (852) 2522-1528
Email: gallery@schoeni.com.hk
www.schoeni.com.hk

Exhibition Venues:
Main Gallery: 21-31 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong.

Monday - Saturday 10:30am - 6:30pm.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

© Schoeni Art Gallery Ltd. 2004.  All rights reserved.
Images of art on this website may not be reproduced
without prior permission of Schoeni Art Gallery Ltd or the artists.