Wish+for+Patriotism--Weng+Fen

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 * [[image:http://www.csun.edu/~mwang/exhibition/images/artworks/w_family_wish_05m.jpg]] ||
 * Wish For Patriotism

Title: Wish for Patriotism Artist(s): Weng Fen 翁奮 (b. 1961) Date: 2000 Period: Country of Origin: China Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Chinese Medium: Photograph Dimensions: 24.4 x 19.7 in / 62 x 50 cm Museum/Collection: Unknown Accession Number: Unknown Current Location and Manner of Display: Unknown
 * Artwork Identification**

This photograph is part of a series of staged portraits of the artist and his family in highly formalized poses. The series entitled[| "Family Aspirations"]deals with different ways in which people are searching for a new identity as the world around them is changing. Other photographs in the series include the same members of the family in different settings. The themes of the other photographs include marriage, education, fashion, and a good job.
 * Introduction**

The staged photograph is of a family of three, the woman on the left, man on the right and a school-aged girl in the center, standing on a institutional looking metal chair. The three seem to embrace each of their traditional Chinese roles. The woman is wearing a Qipao (Cheongsam), which is a floor length traditional silk dress that is red with gold embroidery. She has her hair and make-up make her appear as you would expect a Chinese woman to look in a formal portrait. She doesn't smile and does not appear to be looking at the camera, but looking straight ahead in an unfocused gaze. The man is also dressed in conservative Chinese clothing. He is wearing a Zhongshan suit (Mao Suit). He is also in a stiff formal pose with a vague unfocused gaze. The couple appear to be people with similar slim builds, and they are about the same height, so they balance each other visually. There is something of a feeling that they are neither happy or sad in outlook. They look slightly forlorn, but not upset or anxious. The young girl who is in the center of the photograph wears her hair in two high pigtails. She is wearing a navy blue velvet jacket with what appears to be a red and white school crest on the left hand side of her chest. She is also wearing a blue skirt, and black shoes. She holds her right hand up in the salute of above her head and she is wearing a red scarf around her neck. The salute and scarf are typical of the [|Young Pioneers], a Chinese student organization. Perhaps she, like her parents, has embraced her role as a young girl, as the Young Pioneers are an organization that is affiliated with the communist party. She is looking straight ahead at the camera rather than gazing out as her parents appear to be. Behind the family, there is a Chinese map of China on the wall, which is the only feature that is visible in the background. Both the wall behind them and the floor are painted a vibrant red color, which contrasts sharply with the figures who stand in front of it--except for the woman whose dress blends in with the red background.
 * Descriptive Analysis**

The theme of the nuclear family is one of the concepts that Weng Fen deals with in his art, especially this series. Since China has had a one child policy, there has been change in the structure of the nuclear family and there are other contemporary Chinese artists who also deal with this theme. One notable example is Zhang Xiaogang, who has several paintings on this subject matter (see the TeachArt Wiki page The Big Family No. 2 -- Zhang Xiaogang). Weng Fen's images of the nuclear family are similar to those of Zhang Xiaogang's paintings in that they deal with a family of three with the members arranged in a similar position, and with the child as the central figure. The family shown represents a modern rather than [|traditional family structure]. This family consists of only the parents and the child, not grandparents or aunts, uncles and cousins, who are traditionally considered part of the family. Industrialization has caused many families to become disconnected from each other. In traditional families, the family would live with the husband's parents, but because of the demands of living in an industrialized rather than a rural society, families have been broken up. Children may have to move to the cities to get jobs in order to provide for their families now. This may cause them to fee insecure because they are used to having the emotional and physical structure of a large family supporting them. Now they are forced to make their own decisions and be responsible for their own family.
 * Formal/Contextual Analysis**

Upon examining the figures portrayed in portrait, it appears that they are lifeless. There is no sign of vitality to their faces. The artist possibly wants to express that this is an old way of life and it is no longer valid in modern society. The dated costumes and the traditional family structure of the past does not fit neatly into this new industrialized society. They look like they are frozen in time. Another aspect of the photograph that recalls the traditions of the past is the artist's choice of wardrobe for the family. The woman is dressed in formal attire that makes her appear as if she is going to a wedding or beauty pageant, giving the appearance that she is trying to look young, while the man is wearing a Mao suit, which is an unusual type of clothing for a man of his age to wear. He appears to be dressing as someone who is much older. Perhaps he is trying to fulfill the role that his father would traditionally fulfill. The background, against which the family is portrayed is totally red. The color red is significant in China because it is associated with the communist party. The family may want to fit in and conform to the demands of the party. Just as the young child conforms by wearing her red scarf, the whole family conforms to tradition by the representation of a red background that completely surrounds them.

When this series of photographs was created, in 2000, it was a time when other photographers in China simultaneously were exploring the idea of using staged photographs, in which the artist sets up a scene in which the artist uses hired models or family members and friends to model and depict an event. One such contemporary Chinese artist is Wang Qingsong, whose [|Past, Present, and Future] series creates an elaborate scene mimicking the statues outside of Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. This type of photography may have been influenced by such western photographers such as Andreas Gursky, a German photographer, who's elaborate staged photographs like [|Cocoon 1] are some of the most expensive and sought-after photographs today.

Contemporary photography in China has grown out of a history in which there was no freedom, as during the Cultural Revolution photographers were restricted as to what they could publish, and their photographs altered in order to make images that were suitable to fulfill the desires of the communist party's propaganda. The event that started to turn the tide for photographers was the April Fifth Movement of 1976, in which amateur and professional photographers were able to for the first time record the events as they happened in Tienanmen Square in April 4th, 1976. Although the police came in a seized many of the cameras and film, there were enough surving photographs to create an exhibition of the event, which happened three years later. The result of this incident was that photography ecame accepted as an art form and led to the establishment of the April Photographic Society.

I see this photograph as an iconic symbol of the Chinese family. This family seems to be between two worlds, one traditional and familiar world which they grew up in and see as part of their identity, and a new westernized world that seems attractive on the surface, but is confusing and unfamiliar. They cling to traditions and styles that seem dated and awkward like the Mao suit and the Qipao. They are experimenting in a form of modernization, but are still attached to past traditions and values Though the next generation is free from the traditions as they have not experienced them, they will always be a part of the artist's life. Americans may express patriotism through the wearing of a western hat or boots as a symbol of the frontier, even though they have never experienced it first hand. Here we have a person who looks to the events of the past and has a sense of patriotism. Even though the history of China is not ideal it is his identity a part of him as a person.
 * Personal Interpretations**.

//Print Sources//  Vine, R. (2008). New China New Art. Munich: Prestel Verlag This book is a good resource for studying Contemporary Chinese Art. The chapter on Photography is a good resource for contextual information.
 * References**

Eckholm, E. (1999, September 26). After 50 Years, China Youth Remain Mao's Pioneers. New York TImes. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com This article describes the role of the Young Pioneers in the lives of Chinese students.

//Online Sources//

Wang Qinsong - Chinese Contemporary Art and Photography (2011, December 20). Past, Present and Future. Retrieved from www.wangqingsong.com This website has images of the artwork as well as the artist's interpretation of the work.

Artnet (2011, December 19). Weng Fen (Weng Peijun). Retrieved from [|www.artnet.com] The website has an image of the six portraits that make up the "Family Aspirations" series.

 Jordan, D.K. (2006, March 20). Jordan: China Resources Page. Retrieved from [|weber.ucsd.edu] This is a resource for learning about traditional family roles in Chinese society.

German-American Community Project, Inc. (2011, December 21). Germany in NYC. Andreas Gursky: Cocoon. Retrieved from germanyinnyc.org <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">This website has an image and a description of Andreas Gursky's photograph "Cocoon I".

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 * Image Sources**