Mr. Umbrella No. 3
Li Changlong
李昌龙
Production date
2015
Object Detail
Media
oil painting
Measurements
125 x 80 cm
Notes
Li Changlong’s series of oil paintings, ‘Mr Umbrella’, features seven mysterious hooded images in similar positions, a pictorial reference to the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove ‘竹林七贤’, a group of ancient Chinese scholars who had unique personalities and political aspirations. Inspired by the smooth lines and elegant structures of some outdoor umbrellas that he once saw by chance, Li renders their shapes as hooded figures, implying the alienation of human beings in contemporary Chinese society, which is masked by deceptive compliance. Each of the mysterious figures is covered by a hooded coat rendered in subtle colours and delicate details. These almost ghost-like characters also remind audiences of Anton Chekhov’s novel, ‘The Man in the Case’.
Accession number
2018.097