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The Evolution of Gesture: Constructing a Visual System

Liu Sichuan

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In artistic language, the gestures of the human body serve as an ancient yet vibrant form of expression. From the running hunters in prehistoric cave paintings, the devout prayers of saints in Renaissance religious works, the dramatic physicality of Baroque art, the graceful lines of Rococo, the exaggerated distortions of Modernism, to the conceptual expressions in contemporary performance art using the body as a medium—gestures have always permeated artistic practice with their inherent ambiguity and complexity, forming a cornerstone of visual language.

As one of the most instinctive forms of artistic expression and the deepest of metaphors, gestures are recontextualized within a contemporary framework in Lu Hang’s paintings. Through his sustained exploration of postures such as kneeling, crouching, crawling, climbing, jumping, and leaping, he constructs a unique visual narrative, a system that persistently questions the essence of human existence and the boundaries of visual language.

The Gesture: A Dynamic Language and the Writing of Painting

LU Hang’s exploration of gestures is neither abrupt nor isolated; rather, it is a dynamic, evolving process. From his early depictions of low postures to his recent focus on the theme of ascending, his works reveal the multidimensionality and evolution of gestural language. This evolution uses bodily movement as its vehicle, delving into a dual exploration of pictorial form and conceptual depth.

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In his early works, such as In the Basement (2016) and Opportunist (2016), the acts of crouching and crawling occupy the center of the composition. These lowly postures, coupled with tightly packed compositions, create a strong sense of spatial oppression. The bodies, seemingly tethered or suppressed by some invisible force, formally echo the emphasis on emaciated figures in the works of masters like Michelangelo and Goya. However, in LU Hang’s reimagined visual context, these figures transcend religious or historical narratives of suffering, becoming universal symbols of human fragility and resistance.

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As his work progresses, LU Hang experiments with extending movement and transforming gestures to explore the relationship between the body and space. In the Gymnastics (2023) series, the figures move beyond lowly postures, using stretching and climbing movements to create a sense of dynamic continuity within the composition. The extended bodies and hands raised high, seemingly searching for anchorage, might symbolize “struggle” or “submission,” but they also suggest an approach to the unknown, a search for balance, and a latent, ambiguous sense of direction. This sense of direction is accentuated by LU’s handling of lines—fluid lines intersect with fragmented brushstrokes, creating a contradictory yet unified visual rhythm that articulates the ambivalence and uncertainty of action.

In his more recent works, represented by the Dance (2023) series, gestural language is further liberated. The images of jumping and leaping figures transition from representational human forms to pure expressions of movement. In my view, this expression is not merely a superficial visual breakthrough or release but embodies an exploration of balance and suspense. The figures’ gestures are pushed to extremes, as their bodies seem poised to either fall or ascend at any moment, generating a tension that remains unresolved. This state does not provide a definitive answer but instead leaves the answers blowing in the wind.

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LU Hang consistently emphasizes that painting is a form of “writing” rather than mere creation, and this approach is deeply reflected in his exploration of gestural language. Brushstrokes in his works serve not only as tools for shaping forms but also as traces that record the evolution of gestures. For instance, in Red Torso (2022), he constructs a sense of dynamic thickness by repeatedly layering and adjusting his brushstrokes. The emaciated red figure appears not so much painted as “grown” through successive acts of writing. This obsession with brushstrokes and dynamics gradually detaches his gestural language from representational depiction, transforming it into an open artistic form.

In art history, the exploration of gestures as a system has been a recurring theme. From Michelangelo’s dramatic expressions of the human body in the Sistine Chapel ceiling to Delacroix’s narrative construction of group gestures in Romanticism, and Degas’ continuous studies of dancers’ postures, gestures have always been vital tools for artists to express human emotions, psychological states, and social relationships. For these masters, the study of gestures never stopped at mere imitation of movement; instead, it evolved into a formal language that constructs compositional tension and reveals human depth.

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LU Hang’s exploration of gestures clearly aligns with this tradition, yet he gradually develops a unique creative consciousness. In his works, gestural systems no longer serve external narratives but become an independent language system—a medium that reflects universal human conditions and experiments with the boundaries of artistic expression. His meticulous writing and shaping of gestures stem from a persistent inquiry into the dynamics of movement itself, revealing the complexity of gestures as a mode of existence.

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From this perspective, LU Hang’s creative approach can be seen as a modern response to traditional artistic philosophy: he does not attempt to convey a predetermined conclusion through gestures. Instead, he harnesses their openness and ambiguity to invite viewers into a fluid process of contemplation. Whether through the low crouch or the soaring leap, LU Hang’s gestural system carries a multilayered reflection on human experience, emphasizing that art should not merely replicate the world but construct one. This creative vision roots his gestural language in artistic tradition while imbuing it with strong contemporary relevance, offering new possibilities for gestures as a visual language.

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From Classic to Contemporary: Reinterpreting Symbols and Extending the Spirit

 

As a core language of artistic expression, the human form has carried diverse meanings throughout history, from the pursuit of proportional beauty in ancient Greece, the search for salvation in the Middle Ages, the scientific exploration of structure during the Renaissance, to the deconstruction and reassembly of form in modernism. The study of the human figure has gradually evolved beyond formal considerations, becoming a medium for exploring human emotions and philosophical questions. This tradition reached a profound new depth in Michelangelo’s late work, Pietà Rondanini.

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This unfinished sculpture reflects Michelangelo’s deep contemplation in his later years on religious faith and the essence of humanity. Unlike the robust and powerful figures commonly seen in his work, the Christ figure in this piece is emaciated and fragile, resting in the Virgin’s embrace with an ethereal sense of impending departure. The unfinished texture of the sculpture preserves its openness to interpretation, transforming Christ’s image from a mere symbol of suffering into something far more universal. This “unfinishedness” transcends the religious narrative, expressing a profound awareness of life’s fragility and uncertainty.

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Similarly, Alberto Giacometti’s Walking Man (L’Homme qui marche), heavily influenced by Sartre and existentialist philosophy, conveys a powerful sense of loneliness and existential reflection. His slender, elongated figures appear fragile in vast spaces, yet radiate tension. This visual impact challenges traditional notions of proportion and sense of weight in sculpture, while embodying the isolation and struggles of modern existence. Giacometti’s simplified forms focus on the essence of life, allowing viewers to experience the alienation between humans and the world. Every thin line in his sculptures narrates the hardship and absurdity of human existence. These statues, simultaneously static and dynamic, pose the eternal question: What is humanity’s place in the world?

LU Hang draws deep inspiration from these works, yet his reinterpretation imbues these figures with new contemporary meanings through abstraction and reconstruction. From Opportunist (2016) to Red Torso (2022) and Dance (2023), the evolution of the “slender figure” is evident. While these forms continue the “attenuated” aesthetic, their spiritual direction has undergone a fundamental transformation. LU seeks to move beyond the physical fragility conveyed by these red, slender figures, exploring instead the vulnerability of the individual’s spirit and humanity in contemporary society. In the face of today’s challenges, the physical incompleteness and spiritual disorientation of his figures become core metaphors in his works.

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Especially in Red Torso, the emaciated red body appears both as a flesh-and-blood organism and a floating symbol. The artist’s technique of repeatedly layering and adjusting brushstrokes creates a fluidity in the form’s boundaries, oscillating between clarity and obscurity, imbuing the figure with an ambiguous sense of existence. This ambiguity subtly resonates with the unfinished texture of Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini, while also reflecting LU Hang’s distinct creative stance. He does not appear to use slenderness to convey a salvific force; instead, he transforms this form into a vehicle for questioning the individual’s relationship with society, history, and the self. Through this approach, we glimpse a homage to classical art in his figures, alongside a reactivation and extension of its spirit.

 

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This quality of reinterpretation is further evident in LU Hang’s “headless” figures. In the Bowl series, the absence of the head renders the human form exceptionally fragile, yet simultaneously imbued with an undeniable strength. LU situates this imagery within dual historical and cultural contexts: on the one hand, he draws inspiration from Chinese mythology, such as the headless warrior Xing Tian from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, symbolizing resilience and defiance; on the other hand, he is influenced by Georges Bataille’s concept of the Acephalic Man. Through formal simplification and symbolic abstraction, LU diminishes the specificity of these cultural origins, transforming the figures into abstract representations of universal human conditions. The absence of the head signifies both the dissolution of identity and a subtle hint at the reconstruction of subjectivity.

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Through such reinterpretation and innovation, LU Hang not only extends the classical spirit but also seeks to transcend the limitations of the classical context. He integrates ideas from literature, art history, and philosophy into his work, infusing gesture-based language with greater complexity and openness. In this process, LU’s visual language achieves a transformation—from religious to secular, from narrative to symbolic—becoming a form of expression that embodies both universality and individuality.

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This creative approach reflects LU’s engagement with art history. His exploration through the medium of gestures represents an important pathway and hallmark of his systematic and research-based practice. Observing his work from this perspective reveals his continual construction of form and meaning, as well as the qualities that mark him as a maturing artist: the shift from fragmented expressions to a systematic exploration of visual language, and the attempt to establish an independent system of thought and form in painting.

However, in the highly symbolic nature of gesture-based language, LU faces ongoing challenges in his future creations. How can he avoid formal rigidity and emotional detachment? How can he sustain the viewer’s multidimensional interpretations amid repetitive writing? These challenges themselves echo the broader questions confronting contemporary painting in this era of “visual oversaturation.”

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