Jiang Cheng

Amber-201807 (The Graces), 2018, oil on canvas, 150 × 200 cm

Amber-201807 (The Graces) is a work created around the theme of The Graces. The subject of the Three Graces is an ancient one. Since the Renaissance, many painters and sculptors have recreated their images by drawing on the compositional traditions of ancient Greek and Roman art. In continuing this lineage, I merge classical and contemporary sensibilities in the figures, using clear, translucent colors that intertwine myth, history, memory, desire, and dreams.

In ancient Greek culture, the Three Graces embody the acts of giving (charistomai), receiving, and reciprocating. This also reflects my own belief in and understanding of painting: painting is a gift from the world to me, and likewise my way of receiving, engaging with, and giving back to the world. Painting is the matrix—the mother form—of all types of contemporary art, and classical mythological themes such as the Three Graces serve as its archetypal motifs. My practice is both a return to this matrix and an in-depth exploration of such archetypes, while at the same time moving beyond and transcending various strands of contemporary-ism.

Painting is a trinity of art history, material, and the painter. Every painting is the embodied flesh of painting itself.