Theatricalizing Death and Society in The Skeletons' Illusory Performance by Li Song

• Autores: Jeehee Hong
• Localización: Art bulletin, ISSN 0004-3079, Vol. 93, Nº 1, 2011, págs. 60-78
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Skeletons’ Illusory Performance by Li Song unveils middle imperial Chinese attitudes toward death and society. By refashioning the social persona of the peddler within his oeuvre, Li created a complex performer in this painting. The peddler as a skeletal puppeteer manipulates a marionette that entices a toddler whose vision is dominated by the spectacle, while the onlookers are oblivious to this uncanny performance. The puppeteer’s all-seeing vision through deathless skeletal sockets contrasts sharply with that of the child and the onlookers and presents a visual commentary on contemporary sensibilities toward the relations between performance, the everyday world, and death.