Since the mid 1980s, the transitions in politics, economy and culture have shifted people’s attention from “Scar Arts” and “Rural Realism” to “Self-Expressionism”. The art circle was well prepared for the theory of Self-Expressionism, Individualism and the discussion on the essence of painting. A group of artists in Sichuan began to explore the diverse styles from their view point.

After leaving US in the 1990s, Yang Qian started his exploration of new language and expression. His works were filled with tranquility, poetic quality, ambiguity and classicality at the same time. Guo Wei recorded lives from the vision of common people, only to find them real but weird, familiar but strange. Luo Fahui found a way to express his shameless humors. He used “Rose” as a symbol of ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘Impulsion’ which are the popular subjects at the time. Pang Maokun conceptualized and emotionalized the figures in his paintings, which showed how a realist painter interacting with the transition. Through the stories of unnamed individuals, living in this ever-changing society, He Sen depicted their changes in self-image and self-perception with his unique and subtle expression.

No matter whether it is with impulsion, intuition or careful consideration, the works on the show is an important milestone in the artists’ career. Although some of this expression hasn’t been continued, they set the scenes for the artists’ developments in the future.