Jiang, Qigu "Sy" (Ink, Oil)Upon arrival in Chicago in 1987, Jiang was deluged with a vast amount of artistic information in museums, galleries, and schools. Coming to attend the School of the Art Institute, he wished to take advantage of the opportunities for artistic development offered by this prestigious academy. From stately European masters, Impressionists, Expressionists, American Abstract Expressionists, Surrealists, Chicago Imagists, to the latest post-modern diatribe, Jiang consumed the great Western aesthetic and philosophical traditions. He was able to engage in a personal dialogue with the original artwork, which had been available to him prior only via reproductions. In his recent work, Jiang interweaves a Chinese heritage with his new vital experience of the fresh cacophony of urban America and the invigorating tumultuous western art world.
|