China China (1997-1998)

The ink painting series China China consists of one big and one small-scale work by Zhu Wei. Although the series only contains two pieces, it has been the one of the most crucial works in Zhu’s career during the late 90’s. Concerning the control of the pictorial surface, Zhu spent years perfecting his unique technique: paper is painted in yellow on top of a rough plank or carpet, resulting in interesting patterns in the concave areas when the ink dried. Zhu also draws his inspiration from the journalistic picture that captures the laugh of Chairman Deng Xiaoping while receiving a group of diplomats. It is especially witty of Zhu to use Deng, the “conductor” of the future for modern China as a symbol for China. However, Zhu does not demean or mock the meaning of the subject matter; he reinforces it with the extensive use of red and yellow and thus brings about a profound effect. The Running Horses in the Rainy Night and Yellow Flowers are also representational works during this period for Zhu.

《中国，中国》（1997-1998年）

《中国，中国》这一系列水墨作品，朱伟共画过一大一小两个尺寸，仅由两件作品构成的这个系列，却成为朱伟在90年后期最重要的代表作品。关于画面效果的控制，多年来朱伟总结了一套特殊的技法，纸张经过涂刷棕黄色颜料来做旧，刷的时候纸张下面垫上有栅格的木板或糙面的地毯，颜料会凹处沉淀凝结，纸上便现出有趣的图案。朱伟以他惯常的手法描绘了中国领袖人物邓小平，某年邓小平在接见国外使团时，交谈中会心大笑的一瞬间被相机记录下来，这一新闻摄影成为朱伟创作的图像来源。邓小平作为奠定中国现代化未来方向的“指挥家”，以他的形象隐喻中国的主题，不得不使人佩服朱伟诙谐的智慧，但在这一作品中，朱伟未带有丝毫贬损和扭曲的含义，画面中大面积采用的红色和黄色，既赋予了画面深沉的效果，同时进一步强化了主题的寓意。“雨夜跑马图”、“黄花”也是此一时期朱伟较有代表性的作品。