Since rising to prominence in the mid-1990’s with The Happy Children series, Guo Jin has been well known for his instantly recognisable depictions of young children engaging in carefree play. His subjects are happy, in a way that only children can be, engrossed in their childish pursuits they are unburdened by the responsibilities that weigh heavily upon their elders.
Guo Jin’s paintings succeed in evoking a strong sense of nostalgia, a sentimentality that comes with fond reminiscing. Yet the artist does not succumb to cloying sweetness, the youth and gaiety of the children he depicts is somewhat inhibited by the rough rust-like impasto layers that Guo Jin applies liberally to his subjects. These children are at once the epitome of youth as well as a reminder of the inevitability of age. They hark back to a time of innocence, a naivety that has been lost to us. Guo Jin seeks to return us to this time through his paintings,
“Let us try our best to retrieve the beauty of the idealism that we were unaware of but that we once had.” The present lot, The Girl on the Trojan, is typical of Guo Jin’s latest work. The lone figure, a girl seated on a carousel horse, is treated generously to thick monochromatic layers, endowing her with the richly worked finish which has become the trademark of Guo Jin’s work. The artist ensures that our full attention is drawn to the subject by emphasising her rough impasto finish with a flat, smooth background. The girl seems lost in her own world, fully immersed in her imaginative play. However, this youthful innocence contrasts with a sense of melancholy implied by the solitude of the sitter, as well as those rust-like layers of paint which are a constant reminder of the inevitable ravages of time.