YAN PEI-MING

Yan Pei-Ming is a modern expressionist portrait painter whose works are loose and representative of the roles that their subjects play in society. Pei-Ming was born in 1960 in Shanghai, China. He did not attend art school in China due to the highly competitive application process, but he did take part in a program called the propaganda studio. At age 20, Pei-Ming moved to Dijon, France in order to attend the École des Beaux-Arts. He later attended the Institut des Hautes Études en Arts Plastiques in Paris, France. He gained notoriety for his large format portraits of Mao Zedong. Pei-Ming made a significant breakthrough for Chinese art in the Western context because he was the first Chinese artist to exhibit at the Louvre. Pei-Ming now teaches painting and drawing at his alma mater, École des Beaux-Arts.

Fighting Spirit, Yan Pei-Ming, Oil on Canvas, 118 1/8 x 118 1/4 ", 2012

A consistent theme in Pei-Ming's work is universality. He walks the line between figuration and abstraction, perhaps to portray the universal through the abstract and the unique through the representational. Pei-Ming states that “within my portraits, I am illustrating theories.” Theories that are closely tied to his political views. Pei-Ming's works are typically large and monochrome. He thwarts the power of color to ensure that it does not detract from the essence of a moment or feeling. Black and white are all Pei-Ming needs to convey a feeling. Pei-Ming is heavily influenced by Francisco Goya.

Self-Portrait as a Hooligan, Yan Pei-Ming, Oil on Canvas, 137.8 x 137.8 ", 2003

I am drawn to Pei-Ming's paintings because of their dramatic weight and expressive brushstrokes. Each painting feels heavy as if it is bearing the weight of its subject's body and power. This is due to the careful placement of values. Pei-Ming strives not to paint people from history, but people who are alive now. I agree fully with this decision because what is more relevant than our contemporaries? Portrait painting is where I am presently stuck. The human head is of fascination to me because it is the crown jewel of two billion years of evolution. Inside of the head is where all perception, feeling, thought, spirituality, and emotion exists. The combination of all of the sensory information yields a visualization of the person's identity in the form of a facial expression. 

Grand Timonier, Yan Pei-Ming, Oil on Canvas, 98 3/8 x 98 3/8 ", 2000