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Lot Essay
Leng Guangmin graduated from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts Oil Painting Department in 2012, receiving the Luo Zhongli Scholarship for his thesis work. He skillfully uses blocks of color to embody the aged quality of furniture. By shifting among angles and dimensions in a virtual space, he produces a surrealism that challenges abstract physicality. In On the Cloud, the pictorial tension derives from an “investigation of matter” directed at antique furniture. The two geometric forms are of the same table, one deep orange, the other a light gray, “gathered” on a forest green background. Silhouettes of the objects are distinct; the colors are starkly contrasting, making them the foremost element in this dramatic composition. The second element is the lines. Leng mounts paper onto the canvas, and carves into the mounted color. The upper line of the white desk looms below the orange area after carving. The defined portion of the object is also visible through the veins of the paper, using space to draw a connection with the logic of time passing.
The furniture details on the slightly damaged table legs, the division of the space, and the mellow colors of On the Cloud all indicate that Leng uses “weight” to define an aged tactile quality. In order to achieve a substantial image, the pictorial depth is pushed to its lower boundary, producing a natural flatness. This flatness could be seen as a direct reference to abstract painting which at once opens a surrealist space. Leng has said, “I first establish the subject in a surrealist state while simultaneously strengthening the tactile quality of the substance. Contrast is produced by the juxtaposition of surrealism and realism. The ‘degree’ of this contrast is the key issue.”
The comparison of surrealism and realism is like the balance between logic and emotion. One can be controlled, the other is unquantifiable. How to formulate their coexistence on a flat plane is, in the words of the artist, the “degree.” On the Clouds is concisely constructed, certifying the appearance of the desk is not a goal pursued by the artist. The metaphysical definition - its silhouette, texture, and composition - testifies to its existence. With one desk at a 45 degree angle and the other below it in the backdrop, two black handles are located on the left and right sides; Leng Guangmin strengthens the dynamic of superimposition. Flat layers that are built one on top of the other not only produce the visual texture of bas-relief but also create a stark tension between the planes.
The furniture details on the slightly damaged table legs, the division of the space, and the mellow colors of On the Cloud all indicate that Leng uses “weight” to define an aged tactile quality. In order to achieve a substantial image, the pictorial depth is pushed to its lower boundary, producing a natural flatness. This flatness could be seen as a direct reference to abstract painting which at once opens a surrealist space. Leng has said, “I first establish the subject in a surrealist state while simultaneously strengthening the tactile quality of the substance. Contrast is produced by the juxtaposition of surrealism and realism. The ‘degree’ of this contrast is the key issue.”
The comparison of surrealism and realism is like the balance between logic and emotion. One can be controlled, the other is unquantifiable. How to formulate their coexistence on a flat plane is, in the words of the artist, the “degree.” On the Clouds is concisely constructed, certifying the appearance of the desk is not a goal pursued by the artist. The metaphysical definition - its silhouette, texture, and composition - testifies to its existence. With one desk at a 45 degree angle and the other below it in the backdrop, two black handles are located on the left and right sides; Leng Guangmin strengthens the dynamic of superimposition. Flat layers that are built one on top of the other not only produce the visual texture of bas-relief but also create a stark tension between the planes.