Chen Yifei, Red Flag I, Oil on Canvas, Dimensions: 300 x 159 cm (118.1 x 62.6 in.), 1971-1972. Source: http://www.artnet.com/artists/chen-yifei/red-flag-1-tBXyFFUh-0HVcgGfbG-bXA2
Red Flag I is constructed of oil on canvas and depicts a number of soldiers holding the Chinese Flag and a gun. The landscape is unclear as most of the detail is in the soldiers and their forms. The soldiers are preparing to charge into battle to fight for the liberation of China. The image is mostly realistic with the exception of its size in order to create a sense of reality for the viewer showing that there are people who are fighting for the liberation of China.
This image of the soldiers standing tall and proud before running into battle creates a sense of pride in the viewer as they are not afraid to die for what they believe in. Red Flag I towers over the viewers at 300 x 159 cm. This size creates a sense of pride and power as well as protection for the masses which is provided by the communist party. The importance of the communist party is exemplified in this painting by the red accents of the flag and the crests on the soldiers hats which contrasts with the dark earth-tones of the soldiers uniforms and the background. By having the soldier holding the flag, Chen Yifei is conveying to the viewer that these soldiers, who are about to run into battle and possibly lose their lives, are not afraid of death because they are fighting for a cause that they truly believe in. The Communist Party.
Red Flag I is a powerful image for the communist party as it glorifies the work that they and their soldiers are doing to liberate China. It also creates a sense of pride in the viewer and shows the communist cause as one that is for the people and will provide protection and a strong ruling over the country.
Sources:
“Now Sotheby’s Hong Kong 40th Anniversary Evening Sale.” chen, yifei red flag 1 ||| history ||| sotheby’s hk0488lot75f82en, n.d. https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/40th-anniversary-evening-sale-hk0488/lot.25.html?locale=en.
Yifei, Chen. “Red Flag 1 by Chen Yifei.” Red flag 1 by Chen Yifei on artnet. Van Ham Kunstauktionen, n.d. http://www.artnet.com/artists/chen-yifei/red-flag-1-tBXyFFUh-0HVcgGfbG-bXA2.
This piece is very interesting, and some elements can be compared to the Yue Minjun piece that I analyzed, called Execution. In both works, guns and violence are a central theme. The comment that you made about how amplified the loyalty to communism that the soldiers have in this piece is something that I can think more of when further analyzing Execution. I discussed the impact that communism had on the painting that I analyzed, but did not really think about the role that the red wall and communist structure may have had on the soldiers that were about to murder the protestors. In the future, I can consider this in more depth, and incorporate the power that communism had in swaying soldiers’ pride for their country in other Yue pieces that I look at.
Although Red Flag I is oil on canvas, it shares similar political aims of a woodcut print, which glorifies the Communist party. This painting uses western realism to depict Chinese soldiers preparing to fight for the liberation of China. It reminded me of the modernist woodcut movement because it incorporated western techniques and produced a piece of art that promoted communist politics. Despite the woodcut print being largely associated with the identity of left-wing politics, other mediums of art, such as oil on canvas, were used to highlight the importance of communism. I did not think that the emphasize on color and expressionism in an oil on canvas could equally be so effective for communist art.
As pointed out in this work, the soldiers in this painting are prepared to fight for their country. This image is prideful and portrays the soldiers as brave and strong. Obviously, the artist, Chen Yifei, trusted these Chinese soldiers to protect China and all of its people. This makes me realize how little my artist, Feng Zikai trusted the Chinese army and soldiers to protect innocent Chinese citizens in the war against Japan. Feng must have believed the only way for the bombings and the destructions to stop was for an angel to swoop in to save the Chinese people. In other words, Feng did not believe the Chinese soldiers were going to be the ones to save their innocent people. I also think it is important to note that both of these works use modernized weapons, one with a gun and another with a bomb. However, in Feng’s work, the bomb was aimed for the Chinese, while in Chen’s work, the gun is supposed to protect the Chinese. This makes me see how defenseless Feng knew the Chinese people were, and how the country must have felt no pride or power against their enemy.
This painting is interesting for me because I see a interesting combination of oil painting and Communism context. The red flag occupied a significant part in this paint and the red is located at the Vistula center in this painting , that created great visual impact toward the audiences. Furthermore, the way Vhen Yifei drew the characters combined technologies in traditional Chinese paintings, that the soldiers in that back are more flat rather than strong perspectives, and they were blurred and became part of the backgrounds.