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Date
1995
Format
Review
Materials
Print on paper
Description
This review was written by Jeffrey Hantover, an art critic and a published poet from the U.S., in January, 1995. It discusses Xu Lei’s artistic style by examining the detailed art elements in his paintings, analyzing the historical and cultural context, and relating his work with western literature figures like "Mr. Cotigo". The reviewer tries to convey that the emptiness and stillness in Xu’s work is good for thinking, as well as showing a sense of sadness after traumatic events happened in contemporary China like the June. 4th Incident. Xu chooses to “turn his back on the world around him” and embraces the past. His work offers a world of quiet, solitude and stoicism, thus revealing his intention of “painting everyday lives with compassion” according to Hantover. (Yifan Shang ‘25)
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