Lot 21C
Yang Yang (Chinese-American, b. 1953). Figure with bull. Mixed media on canvas, n.d. Signed at lower left. A pale, almost spectral figure leaps beside a massive bull, arms raised in a gesture that teeters between dance and defiance. The creature, rendered in dark, smoky tones, bears five legs - a quiet rupture in the logic of anatomy that turns the scene from natural to mythic. Behind them, blocks of crimson paint recall the muleta of a bullfight, evoking both ritual and spectacle. The red seems to pulse with the tension of confrontation, yet the dancer's motion feels liberated, even joyous - a fragile harmony between danger and grace. Yang Yang's restrained surfaces belie the depth of feeling beneath them. Rather than relying on heavy texture, he builds his imagery through tonal balance and emotional contrast: shadow against light, control against abandon. Size: 39.25" W x 29.5" H (99.7 cm x 74.9 cm)
The bull, with its unblinking eye, becomes an emblem of endurance, while the leaping figure embodies the human impulse to transcend fear through movement, art, or faith. Rooted in Yang's lifelong exploration of myth and metamorphosis, this untitled work distills his fascination with the thresholds between the human and animal, real and imagined. Its ambiguity invites reflection rather than resolution - what the artist has described as "a thousand stories" waiting to be found by those who look long enough.
About the artist: Born in 1953 in Nanchang, China, Yang Yang grew up in a household grounded in both engineering and education. His father, Yang Ge, was an engineer and his mother, Qi Hua Ling, a teacher. At age sixteen, Yang encountered the painter Zhu Yu Hu, whose influence would remain profound throughout his life. He later described Zhu not merely as an art teacher but as a mentor who shaped both his artistic foundation and his philosophical outlook.
In 1975, Yang graduated from Yichun Teachers College in Jiangxi. He began his teaching career at Xiao Gang High School and later taught at Nanchang Qishanhu School, balancing his duties as a literature instructor with an increasing devotion to art. During this period he also pursued further study at Jiangxi Teachers College, where professors Qixianmu and Zhang Yuanyou left a lasting impact on him - Yang would later call them "soul makers."
In 1984, Yang Yang made a pivotal decision: he left China and moved to the United States to deepen his artistic studies. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he earned his Master of Arts degree in 1987 and joined the faculty there as an art instructor. His years in the Midwest proved formative, both academically and artistically, and introduced his works to American audiences for the first time. His early exhibitions gained critical attention, with works featured in publications such as "ArtNews," "Interview Magazine," and "Art & Antiques."
Yang Yang's art is marked by its mythical landscapes where animals and humans coexist in fluid, ambiguous states. His palette often gravitates toward monochromatic tones, layering texture and form to explore humanity in ways that defy racial or ethnic boundaries. His works provoke interpretation rather than provide resolution. As the artist himself has said: "There is no answer. You just have to think about it. If the artist does not tell the story, there will be a thousand stories."
Throughout his career, Yang Yang has exhibited widely across the United States and internationally. He has shown at major institutions such as the Xi'an Art Museum in 2004, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2007, and the ShanDong Art Museum in 2014. His work has been collected by notable institutions including the Mobile Museum of Art and continues to appear at international fairs such as Art Basel, Art Palm Beach, Scope Miami, and Art Hamptons.
With more than four decades of work, Yang Yang has cultivated a vision that transcends cultural boundaries. His paintings invite audiences into an illusory world - one where myth, history, and memory intermingle, and where every viewer becomes a storyteller.
Provenance: private Burbank, Illinois, USA collection via inheritance 2024, acquired between 1970s to 2000s
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Item #
196577
- Condition: Excellent. Painting is in excellent overall condition with suspension wire on verso for display. Signed at lower left.
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