Staring At "Helpless"

At the end of the 20th century,Chinese society was in a period of great social change,which brought various social problems.There is a strong contradiction between the accelerating economic system and the relatively slow social system,and this contradiction is particularly prominent under people’s slowly rising social cognition.Society is in a materialized and utilitarian process or state,under a variety of social problems,different social groups have shown a "helpless" mental state.Liu Xiaodong,as one of the representatives of Chinese realism painters,used his keen artistic perspective and unique artistic techniques to express the social mental state and the reality of different groups of people.This paper mainly combines the background of The Times through the analysis of some of Liu Xiaodong’s paintings,discusses and expounds the social theme of "helpless" in Liu Xiaodong’s paintings in a specific period.This thesis is divided into five chapters.The first part is mainly about the definition of the word "helpless" and the simple sorting of artists.The second chapter analyzes the social themes in Liu Xiaodong’s paintings in a specific period based on the background of The Times.The third chapter from liu Xiaodong’s painting language through composition,brushwork,color analysis of "helpless" reflected in the works.The fourth chapter,as a conclusion,elaborates the social significance of Liu Xiaodong’s paintings in a specific period,turns the perspective back to the present,and thinks about the generation of "helpless" at present.The fifth chapter mentions the disadvantages of the past creation,and integrates the inspiration from the analysis of liu Xiaodong’s painting form and content as well as the current "helpless" thinking into his creation.At present,the state of "helplessness" is a state that people must exist in reality.It may not be reflected as a general social mental state as at the end of the 20 th century,but it still cannot be ignored.As a reality of existence,it deserves the attention of modern artists.The author hopes that this paper can inspire my creative practice,change my previous attention perspective,turn my eyes to reality,and use a new experience to pay attention to reality and express reality.