2021.09.25-10.16 ｜The Days of Wind-Selected Works of Cen Long

Artist

Cen Long

Info

2021.09.25-2021.10.16
The Days of Wind-Selected Works of Cen Long
Hann Art Agency

Overview

Expressions of courage are often explored in Cen’s works.
Plato’s dialogues quantify courage as a spiritual persistence and is seen as a virtue.
I believe that this point of view is of the same nature as Cen’s perception of courage.

In The Days of Wind, two sailors are preparing for the imminent storm. One is standing against the wind, whereas the other faces away, bracing the wind with his back. They are reluctant to be beaten down by the whirling blows, for they wish to take advantage of the potency of the weather. This painting by Cen captures a gallant moment for men. Night Sailor in the 2010 triptych, Purgatory, is given courage by the moonlit tree. And sails off to the grand unknown veiled by darkness. I consider this work monumental in marking a transition in Cen’s art. He began experimenting with his thoughts on life in his paintings, By attempting to imbue realistic work with potent idealism. And among his endeavors, the triptych was his first work explicitly on the concept of courage. In Cen’s earlier thirties, he was celebrated and successful, But at his height of success, was prosecuted and went into hiding to protect himself. He hid away from society and wished to combat life’s tragedies with silent resilience and self-effacement. That he was able to remain impervious to external pressure, And never traded his insistence on the true values of art for fame and profit, is due to remarkable courage, in my esteem.

Cen’s father, Mr. Cen Jia Wu, was similarly prosecuted in his time. Not wanting to compromise his beliefs, he protested injustice with his own life. Leap of Faith is an artwork that commemorates Cen’s father, who leaped off a building. In remembering his father, Cen depicts the virtue of bravery despite tyranny, injustice, and societal corruption. In analogy, Cen’s life has been mainly in the wind, against the blows. Over thirty years of such life, days of the wind and trials. He said, Courage is the embodiment of strength. He wishes that his paintings not only touch and encourage his viewers to listen to their hearts. He wishes, humbly, that when he meets his father again, his paintings could prove that he has not failed his father’s final and most enduring message, to always stay true to virtue.