Great+Criticism+Coca-Cola--Wang+Guangyi

**Artwork Identification**
Title: //Great Criticism: Coca-Cola// Artist: Wang Guangyi Date: 1991-1994 Country of origin: China Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Chinese Medium: Oil & Acrylic on Canvas Dimensions: 200 x 200 cm Current Location and Manner of Display: China Avant-Garde: The Farber Collection

**Introduction**
Wang Guangyi grew up in China during the era of Chairman Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and, like thousands of other teenagers, was sent to the country to learn from peasants. Upon emerging from this period of re-education, Wang Guangyi went to the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts where he took his first steps towards becoming one of the most influential Chinese artists of the modern era (Smith, Shanchen, and Merewether, 2002, p. 13). Among some of his most famous works are the paintings that comprise his Great Criticism series, in which he juxtaposes images from the Mass Criticism posters of the Cultural Revolution with mass-produced images from Western advertisements. These works and the works of other artists at that time came to be known as Political Pop, a style of art that combines political propaganda with Western pop art. Great Criticism: Coca-Cola is a prime example of the Political Pop art of the 1980s and 1990s.

**Descriptive Analysis**
In Great Criticism: Coca-Cola, Wang Guangyi uses imagery that is familiar to the people of China juxtaposed with an image widely known in the Western world. Painted on canvas using oil and acrylic paints, the painting is 200 centimeters squared and utilizes a very limited palette. Red and gold dominate the painting with small amounts of army green used as an outline for the figures. It is unclear whether the three figures in the painting are all men, or if the one in the middle is a woman; in the posters created during the Cultural Revolution, a female farmer is often pictured with two males - one a soldier and one a laborer. Their clothing indicates that they are, from left to right, an industrial laborer, a farmer, and a soldier in the People's Liberation Army. The central figure's facial features are a little bit softer with a smaller nose and hair coming out from beneath the farmer's cap. Whether male or female, their faces are strong and determined, and their muscular forearms emphasize their strength. The strong revolutionaries stand with their left arms outstretched holding an oversized ink pen. Clutched tightly to the chest of the man in front is a red book that contains the poems of Chairman Mao Zedong. Behind them are two large, horizontal bands of red with a band of gold in the middle. These bands create strong diagonals from the right to the left of the image, which is repeated above the figures that are standing in a line. Their heads, chins, and bodies form diagonal lines as well. The strong line continues to the right in the top of the red book, is picked up again by the red band at the bottom of the painting, and we are brought back up to the top once more by the large pen in their hands. The image is stamped with a seemingly haphazard scattering of serial numbers in black and white. Below the ink pen is the familiar cursive Coca-Cola logo in bright white on a red background. Aside from the serial numbers, the Coca-Cola logo is the only white in the painting and stands out boldly against the red color, a color significant in its ties to both the western Coca-Cola Company and to Mao's Red China.



**Formal and Contextual Analysis**
In his Great Criticism series, Wang Guangyi brought together the opposing qualities of Socialism and consumerism to create paintings that tell a story of two worlds meeting (Saatchi Gallery, 2009). Wang appropriated imagery from socialist propaganda art and interposed images of Western advertising logos, such as Coca-Cola, on the top of the well-known Chinese iconography. In Great Criticism: Coca-Cola, Wang's most well-known and most reproduced painting, he shows three people in dress typical of the time of the Cultural Revolution towering over the Coca-Cola logo. During the era of Mao's Cultural Revolution these people would represent the way of the future. However, in this image they are not holding the hammers and tools typical of the time; instead they hold an ink pen as if they had just written out the popular logo below them (Chinese Contemporary Art, 2009).

The posters above from the Cultural Revolution show their influence on Wang Guangyi's art. The broad strips of red in the image on the left are reflected in Great Criticism: Coca-Cola, as are the costumes of the three people in both images. The image on the right shows the determined faces of the youth of the revolution and they appear as ready as those in Wang's painting to do what they can for their country.

While Wang used appropriated imagery from the Mao-era posters, he also used a limited color palette and painted the figures merely in outline to give the painting a flat, poster-like quality. It also made the painting similar to the style used by American Pop artists (such as Andy Warhol) at the time he created the work (Spalding, David, 2009). He combined these two styles - the formulaic realism of the posters of the Cultural Revolution with the flat, colorful style of American Pop Art - to create a tension between the two worlds that were colliding during the '80s and '90s.

Another reflection from Mao's time is the numbers are stamped onto the painting. Wang stamped these numbers using stamps made by unknown workers. Just as one cannot trace the creators of the stamps, the artists who created the posters of the Cultural Revolution were likewise untraceable and given no acclaim for their part in that historic time (Smith, Shanchen, and Merewether, 2002, p. 20). The stamps also flatten out the image, and the serial numbers are meant to further highlight the pieces feeling of mass production and the lack of individualism and interchangeability felt by the artist when reflecting upon the propaganda campaigns of the Chinese government (Christie's, 2008).

Wang's paintings force China and the rest of the world to look closely at China, its history, and what that history means in the modernized world of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Images from the Cultural Revolution were so widespread and influenced so many people in their time, whether for good or bad. And now, with the Western world knocking down China's door, images from advertisements are taking over the role of promotion (Spalding, David, 2009). Only this time, it's goods that are being pushed on the people, providing them with a new lifestyle that they are supposed to buy into. Wang takes these conflicting ideas and combines them in a way that makes the viewer, Chinese or not, stop and think about the way our views are influenced by the visual imagery around us.



**Personal Interpretations**
Cultural subjectivity of color theory plays a crucial role in contrasting western and eastern use of red and its symbolic implications. Symbolic icons used in western pop art have integrated into Asian culture through the globalization process and media expansion. Wang's strong use of cultural iconography is very similar to American pop artist [|Andy Warhol.] China’s cultural revolution had a great influence on the children the era, especially since a great deal of propaganda was targeted towards the youth. I first learned about the Cultural Revolution through the book “Red Scarf Girl” Ji-li Jiang, //Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution,// foreword by David Henry Hwang (New York: HarperCollins, 1997), 21. I believe Wang Guangyi uses this painting as a medium to share his personal account of events that took place in his youth.

**References**
//Online Sources// 1. Hall, Helen. "The Chinese Cultural Revolution WebQuest." __Web-and-Flow__. Web-and-Flow. 9 Mar 2009 <[]>.//WebQuest site providing links to interviews to show the effect of the revolution on the common people who lived through the experience of the cultural revolution.// 2. "Overvalued/Undervalued: The Frieze-Week Auctions." __Art Info__. 2009. Phillips de Pury & Company. 9 Mar 2009 . //Site providing auction information with estimated value on art-work.// 3. "A Short History of Free Speech in China." __New Internationalist__. Sep 2004. New Internationalist. 9 Mar 2009 []. //A summary of China's political history dating back to 200 BC// 4. Smith, Karen, Yan Shanchen, and Charles Merewether. __Wang Guangyi__. Hong Kong: Timezone 8 Ltd., 2002.[]. //Links to asian art sites. Link provided to Wang Guangyi's website// 5. Spalding, David. "The Paintings of Wang Guangyi: Revolutionary Acts?." __ShanghART__. 2009. ShanghART. 9 Mar 2009 []. //D. Spading's review of Wang Guangyi's art work.// 6. "Wang Guangyi." __Chinese Contemporary Art__. 2009. Chinese Contemporary. 9 Mar 2009 <[]>. //Artists description with example of sculpture.// 7. "Wang Guangyi." __The Saatchi Gallery__. 2009. The Saatchi Gallery : London Contemporary Art Gallery. 9 Mar 2009 []. //Wang Guangyi's Biography and Exhibitions.// 8. "Lot Notes." Christie's. Lot 853 / Sale 2631. 1 Dec 2008. . //Link to Christie's auction site. Lot including Guangyi's art-work from the Great Criticism Series - Hai'er.//

=**Lesson Plans**=

**Lesson**

 * Title:** **Exploring of Socialism, Consumerism and Propaganda** **through Chinese Political Pop**
 * Grade Level: 9–12**
 * Time: 3 weeks**

**Standards**
ART.II.VA.HS.3 – Describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of others. ART.II.VA.HS.6 – Create media productions that demonstrate knowledge, contexts, values, and aesthetics. ART.III.VA.HS.2 – Identify intentions of artists, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify analyses of purposes in particular works. ART.IV.VA.HS.1 – Reflect on how the subjects, ideas, and symbols of artworks differ visually, spatially, temporally, and functionally with respect to history and culture. ART.IV.VA.HS.3 – Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions made in the analysis and using conclusions to inform personal artwork. ART.V.VA.HS.4. – Compare characteristics of visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues, or themes in the humanities or sciences.

** Central Concepts **
 * **Political Pop** – a contemporary Chinese art movement that derives its content from Western capitalist consumer culture and its style from Western Pop art of the 1960s.
 * **Meaning of Socialism and Consumerism**
 * **Socialism** – a variety of economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. A system of society or group living in which there is no private property.
 * **Consumerism** – an economic system with limited socialist characteristics that is affected by gradual state action. This typically includes public ownership of major industries and remedial measures to benefit the working class.
 * **Propaganda** – a means of communication where the goal is to influence a community/group of people.
 * **Mass Media** – section of the press used to address a large group and/or community of people.
 * **Symbolism** – method of revealing or suggesting immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states.
 * **Pop Art** – Art movement from the 1950s where the artist challenges traditions and embraces mass produced visual ideas. It removes the material from its context and isolates the object, and/or combines it with other objects, for contemplation.

** Learning Activities **
Info drop: Meeting of socialism and consumerism. Show students contemporary political artwork by Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi, Fang Lijun, and Wang Guangyi. Discuss how each of these artists made their choices of subject, image, color, production style, perspective, symbolism, underlying messages, etc. The following questions will be used to facilitate the discussions: · How is class represented in this image? · How do these works of art represent cultural images and modern product images? · What is the relationship between the two?
 * 1. Decoding Images (high school – 1 class period) **
 * Materials: Handouts, overhead images, or computer workstations with the images of the artists ready for viewing. **
 * Assessment: Participation in class discussion.**

//Unititled// (1) ||= //Untitled// (2) || //Last Supper// (3) ||=
 * Images:**
 * **Yue Minjun** ||= [[image:http://www.artknowledgenews.com/files2007a/YueMinjunStatueOfLiberty.jpg width="231" height="314"]]
 * **Zeng Fanzhi** ||= [[image:http://search.it.online.fr/covers/wp-content/zeng-fanzhi-last-supper-2002.jpeg width="251" height="138"]]

//Mask Series 1996 No. 6// (4) || //Group Two, No. 2// (5) ||= //1993.1 6// (6) || //Great Criticism Series// (7) ||= //Great Criticism Series// (8) ||
 * ** Fang Lijun ** ||= [[image:http://www.groningermuseum.nl/uploads/Foto%201.%20FANG%20LIJUN,%20Series2,%20no.%202,%201991%20-%201992,%20oil%20on%20canvas,%20200.jpg width="232" height="202"]]
 * **Wang Guangyi** ||= [[image:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XeszF3jTi_I/SWdfCcdcdXI/AAAAAAAAEe8/qyLSphFa5Lo/s400/Wang+Guangyi+1.jpg width="262" height="294"]]

Working in pairs, students will select a piece by an American pop artist (e.g., Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Litchenstein, or Tom Wesselmann) and add a copy of the image to a shared Google Docs presentation. Once the image has been selected, the teams will decode its message – looking for symbols and suggested meaning. Students will look for how the artist made his choices of subject, image, color, production style, perspective, symbolism, underlying messages, symbols and suggested meaning. Students will then present their findings to the rest of the class.
 * 2. Background Research and Presentations (high school – 3 periods) **
 * Materials needed: computer workstation or library to obtain books **
 * Assessment: Rubric (below)**
 * Student Task || Points Possible || Points Earned ||
 * Students added image by American pop artist to the Google Docs presentation. || 5 ||  ||
 * Content from decoding the messages activity. || 10 ||  ||
 * Student presentations on the selected image. || 5 ||  ||

Students will bring in one sample of propaganda art – an advertisement or something else found in a magazine used to influence a group of people. Students may use the internet to search either youtube or adbusters. Cut this image and glue it to a half of a piece of drawing paper. On the other half, students will decode the image in his/her sample.
 * 3. Propaganda Is Everywhere (high school – 1 class period) **
 * Materials: Magazines, computers with internet access, drawing paper, pencils (regular and colored) **
 * Assessment: Student image and ablility to demonstrate understanding of the advertisements intent/message.**

Students will choose an issue challenging America and create a painting to influence the audience about that message. Image, subject, color, and composition choices should all address this issue. Students must use at least one visual symbol and one corporate/media symbol in the paintings.
 * 4. Cre ate A Pop Art-Style Propaganda Painting (high school - 10 class periods) **
 * Materials: Bristol Board, board to mount painting, tape to attach to board, acrylic paints, paint brushes, water containers **
 * Assessment: Student artwork, the ability to discuss the issue and how it relates to the image.**

Resources
1. Yue Minjun. Untitled. 2005. http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Yue_Minjun.html 2. Yue Minjun. Untitled. 1998. http://www.chinesecontemporary.com/yue_minjun.htm 3. Zeng Fanzhi. Last Supper. 2002. http://search.it.online.fr/covers/?p=30 4. Zeng Fanzhi. Mask Series 1996 No. 6. http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/27707/chinese-contemporary-record-broken-at-christies-hong-kong/ 5. Fang Lijun. Group Two, No. 2. http://artcess.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/85-new-wavelooking-at-chinese-avant-garde-art-since-1985/ 6. Fang Lijun. 1993.1.1993. http://www.artknowledgenews.com/2009-07-12-22-06-18-kunsthalle-bielefeld-to-showcase-world-renowned-chinese-artist-fang-lijun.html 7. Wang Guangyi. Great Criticism Series. 1966-1976. http://mariehelenesirois.blogspot.com/2009/01/wang-guangyi.html?zx=2c805df20fe47bac 8. Wang Guangyi. Great Criticism Series. 1966-1976. http://www.christies.com/features/2010-may-wang-guangyi-great-criticism-series-631-1.aspx