Jiang Ji'An(b.1967)
Next Door No. 1
ink and colour on silk
executed in 2010
diameter 105 cm
(41 3/8 in )
EXHIBITED
Changing View - New Fine Brush Artwork Nomination Exhibition, Time Museum, Beijing, 27 September to 6 October, 2010
Imagery and Style - Chinese Contemporary Fine Brush Artwork Exhibition, World Trade Center, Beijing, 7 to 10 January, 2011
The First Exhibition of Sichuan Province Meticulous Painting Society, Sichuan Museum, 18 to 23 February, 2011
Multi Layered- Contemporary Traditional Chinese Elaborate-Style Painting Nomination Exhibition, Shanghai Art Museum, 20 April to 2 May, 2012
LITERATURE
p.29, Images of Travel, Culture and Art Publishing House, Beijing, 2011
p.48-49, Multi Layered- Contemporary Traditional Chinese Elaborate-Style Painting Nomination Exhibition, Jiangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, Jiangxi, 2012

Jiang Ji’an has sought to reinforce the tradition of Chinese painting and explore new medium in his artwork. The Next Door series is a continuation of the creative concept of the Dry Brush - Light and Shade series. Inspired by classical paintings executed on fans, scrolls and ceramics, Jiang takes the way of appreciation into his major consideration, integrating the subject matter with its surroundings in the painting. Jiang once explained that “in the era when Chinese art becomes stereotyped by modernism, how to liberate ideas and art to bring out the subject matter and to keep the standing ground of the art piece is a question for artists to think about. We have to explore new possibilities out of existing medium in our contemporary lifestyle. By combining paintings with the objects and the surroundings, it allows artists to walk out of the obscurity and free themselves to create a new meaning to painting”.

Jiang is one of the most celebrated artists in contemporary meticulous-style paintings. His artworks are filled with his sophisticated art vocabulary. Next Door No.1 is one of his most remarkable works in the series. Jiang successfully conveys multiple layers of viewing points in this work – the first layer is the actual viewer gazing the painting from real life, the second is the round window which signifies a peeking hole that leads us to the third layer which is the exhibition space depicted in the centre of the painting. With his meticulous technique, Jiang’s work is a well blend of modern spirit and classical character which creates an illusion beyond space and depth.