Night+Revels+of+Lao+Li+-+Wang+Qingsong


 * Night Revels of Lao Li - Wang Qingsong**

**Night Revels of Lao Li**, 120 x 960cm, photograph, Wang Qingsong, 2000 **Artwork Identification:** Title: Night Revels of Lao Li Artist: Wang Qingsong Dimensions: 50 x 384 in. (127 x 960 cm) Medium: Digital Color Print


 * Introduction:**

Wang Qingsong was born in the year of 1966, in the Heilongjiang Province of China. Studying in the Sichuan Acadamy of Fine Arts, Qingsong graduated in 1991 and now lives and works in Beijing. He focuses on the contradictions of contemporary Chinese social reality generated by the country’s rapid economic development and from western influence. Qingsong is well known for his contemporary art and photography, especially for his photograph, //Night Revels of Lao Li//, a collage-like photo print he did based on the well-known Chinese traditional painting, //Night Revels of Han Xizai//. This page explores Qingsong's photograph and its influence taken from the traditional and contemporary Chinese worlds.
 * Descriptive Analysis:**

In //Night Revels of Lao Li//, we see a series of finve photographs that have been connected digitally. The image reads right to left, just like Chinese writing, and appears to be a cohesive, single image, though the people in the image are repeated over and over. Women are depicted wearing gaudy clothing and lingerie, with bright make-up and fantasick hair stlyes. They are doing dances, playing music, fighting with each other, giving a backrub to one man and washing the feet of another. The men in the picture(s) are relaxing, being pampered, listening to the music, observing what's going on, and seem to be enjoying themselves. The images are slightly broken up by the few screens and pieces of furniture that are placed throughout the picture. Screens are covered pr hidden behind, chairs and couches are sat or lounged upon, and short tables are laden with food and drink. There is even a trash-like receptacle that hides the artist himself. The colors in the image are also gaudy and modernistic: off-looking yellows, pinks, blues, purples, and reds dominate the clothing of the women, while the men are mostly dressed in blacks and grays. The floor is an off-white color, and the background is a charcoal grayish drape cloth often found in photography studios. The furniture seems typical of that which would be found in China, and the screens also recall the Chinese style.

**Formal and Contextual Analysis**

In //Night Revels of Lao Li//, Qingsong explores the idea that the only way that a modern intellectual can really express himself is in private. Qingsong himself feels that there is no real way to change the way the modern government works, so men must make money to be honored, then spend that money on their own pleasure (Chi, Mai). This idea is not a new one, but is taken from a Chinese traditional painting, //Night Revels of Han Xizai//, which shows an imperial leader, Han Xizai, from the Post-Tang Dynasty. Han Zixai felt that he could make no real difference in the way his government was run, so he spent all of his money on pleasures. When Han Xizai stopped going to government meetings, an artist was sent to see what was happening and created this painting.

**Night Revels** **of Han Xizai **, Post-Tang Dynasty, 33 x 281 cm, Chinese traditional painting, Gu Hongzhong Qingsong took these ideas and applied them to modern-day China, which, in his opinion, hasn't changed much since the time of Han Xizai (Chi, Mai). He shows men (intellectuals and art critics from China's contemprary art scene) enjoying the pleasures of these scantily-clad women, enjoying the different stages of an evening: welcome, food, entertainment, and other pleasures. He tells a story to the viewer who, whether they are aware of the original Chinese painting or not, can identify the general debauchery that can be found any night, anywhere in the world. Indeed, much of the imagery is influenced by the western world, which is seen more and more throughout China, and, consequently, in Chinese art (Collins, Matthew). 

Chi, Mai. "Night Revels of the Intellectuals." 10/24/2003 []
 * Citation**

Collins, Matthew. "Matthew Collings visits Wang Qingsong's Studio in Beijing." Saatchi Online. 2/16/2008 []

Hake, Elaine. "The Great Photomural of China." 4/2/2009 []

Qingsong, Wang. "Wang Qingsong." 03/25/2009 .

Qingsong, Wang. "Wang Qingsong." IOnOne Art. 03/25/2009 .

Yeh, Diana. "Wang Qingsong." Culture Base. 03/25/2009  