How the Image of the Laugh Is Represented in German and Chine ...

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Abstract

This research examines how the visual image of the laugh has been used in different cultures to depict social and political issues in Western and Eastern societies. The paper’s qualitative research strategy explores two images from German and Chinese art (“The Unteachable Soldier’s Christmas Dream” by Heisig and “The Execution” by Yue Minjun) examining how in two different cultural contexts (Western formalism and Eastern Confucianism and Taoism) the artists use the image of the laugh to convey the impact of their individual and cultural trauma. The research reveals how artists from two different cultures use the image of the laugh metaphorically.