A Pocket Western Art History About Mao – Foreign Mao (Mondrian) 1999

Yu Youhan made this painting, “A Pocket Western Art History About Mao – Foreign Mao (Mondrian),” using acrylic on canvas. A material firmly established in the fine arts, acrylic allows for quick drying and bold, flat areas of color. Here, Yu cleverly merges the visual language of Piet Mondrian, known for his abstract grid paintings, with the iconic image of Mao Zedong. The composition is broken down into geometric blocks of white, red, yellow and blue. The artist uses these primary colors and stark black lines to define Mao’s face in a way that is both recognizable and abstract. This visual combination speaks volumes. By placing Mao within the visual vocabulary of Western modernism, Yu Youhan is making a potent commentary on cultural exchange and political ideology, a literal re-framing of history. It challenges us to reconsider how we perceive both abstract art and political figures, blurring the lines between cultural value systems.