An apple at first
sight, viewers may find this painting of the seemingly ordinary fruit to bear
much resemblance to that of the universe upon closer examination. Such is the
depiction so portrayed by Chinese artist, Tian Mangzi. Apple was subject matter
of choice for Tian Mangzi for through the simple fruit embodies all the dreams
and aspirations he has for earth as Utopia. A witness to the Tiananmen Square
incident in 1989 and stark extremes between the poor and the rich with their
overabundance, Tian Mangzi envisions his dream – an Elysium where war and
harmful strife is rid of, and the world could be in harmony and free of
pollution.
Colors play an important role
in the depiction of the paintings. While purple is often associated as the
symbol of power and luxury, purple and lilac (a pale tone of violet) also
represented mystery and the unknown; things incomprehensible by men. Bluer
shades of purple – with a tinge of sunglow – were used to color the apple-earth
to remind viewers to remember the more mystical side of the universe. The color
green embodies the design of a new planet through which Tian Mangzi is filled
with hope – an ideal planet.
Through his art,
Tian Mangzi explains, Chinese
attitude is to suggest a shape as a hint of the universe. Chinese philosophy is
based on emotion rather than logic or rationality. My art has two functions:
firstly, to construct an apple, and secondly to try to encourage the viewer to
move into a second stage of realizing that the shape represents the
universe.The apples/planets are suspended in space, but “space” has been
removed so that the dimensional effect remains.”
No comments:
Post a Comment