Name: Business Trip on the Silk Road
Date: 2016
Size of Work: 42cm * 30cm 29cm * 20cm
Type: Marker hand-drawing computer output
Client: Department of Printmaking, Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts
Concept:
Due to the implementation of the “One Belt & One Road” Initiative, the land Silk Road that once connected the Eurasia and exerted influences on the world becomes known to the world once again. An increasing number of people start to research all stories that happened on this path once again. However, main details of this thousand-year-long road are hard to be proved due to the pass of time and the destruction of war fire. Therefore, it leaves many mysteries for people to make their imaginations fly.
Inspiration:
In fact, this set of works is the task achievements of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts’ Han and Tang Cultural Investigation Project. My hometown Xi’an was the origin of the ancient Silk Road. During the investigation, our investigation team visited numerous Han and Tang emperors’ tombs surrounding Xi’an and the Silk Road relics. These and cultural antiques have offered me great inspirations, especially the lesser seal characters originated from my hometown in the Han Dynasty and the sign of Qin people. Therefore, I decided to take the stories on the Silk Road as the background and incorporate it with the lesser seal character and numerous antiques to restore the original appearance of this mysterious road.
Creative Thinking:
To make the picture have a strong sense of history and a complete and prosperous commercial atmosphere, I decided to learn from the steam punk style of Moebius, my favorite French cartoonist, combine machinery and real antiques and incorporate the lesser seal characters of the Qin Dynasty to restore one virtual Silk Road.