YOU YONG

Renowned art critic Chen Danqing once commented, “You Yong is near-omnipotent, he can paint portraits, figures, landscapes, still life, large-scale pieces, small pieces, on canvas, and on wooden boards. He is also near-omniscient, knowing from the Fayum portraits of ancient Egypt to the various exquisite works of contemporary figurative art, including, of course, traditional Chinese aesthetics. He has them in his eyes and in his heart.”

You Yong’s past fascination with traditions and classics helps him constantly delineate historical coordinates upon his paintings, and has led to the versatility and diversity of his stylistic expressions. Although we rarely see in his works how historical and societal changes throughout mankind history can bring about cultural conflicts and social anxieties, an indisputable fact is that he possesses a clear and determined subject consciousness and trajectory of action. In this exhibition, a series of new works created by You Yong from 2022 to 2023 demonstrates a clear watershed—a breakthrough beyond the visual logic of classical oil painting language, while absorbing and transforming the context and conventions of traditional Chinese painting. From my perspective, this shift is precisely the method by which You Yong examines and refines his own painting language and logic.

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