See Ananova – Photographer criticised for the complete sequence of three photographs, and to find out why the photographer was criticized.

It arose through the pursuit of individual expression by Chinese artists that broke away from the collective mindset that existed since the Cultural Revolution. The major themes tend to focus on socio-political issues and events since Revolutionary China (1911) to the present. These include having a, usually humorous and post-ironic, take on a realist perspective and interpretation of transition that Chinese society has been through, from the advent of Communism to today’s industrialization and modernization.

Yue Minjun is probably the most successful of the new Chinese Cynical Realists, and his unique brand is easily identified, as he always paints (or sculpts, draws, prints) smiling figures in action:

Galliant Hero, by Yue Minjun -- 1995, oil on canvas

He’s actually a pretty great artist, and his work is very funny — check out his website gallery for many more images.

Yue Minjun is very successful, but that also means is work is way too expensive for most of us. In an ironic exclamation mark to the phrase “Cynical Realism”, you can buy cheap Chinese knockoffs of expensive Chinese art online at Reorient., which features “furniture,  décor, lifestyle” items for sale from Asia. Here is a painting by an anonymous artist in the style of Yue Minjun:

Not Yue Minjun (Anonymous) -- ND, oil on canvas 32"x32"

This painting would ship to you rolled up and ready to frame, were it not SOLD OUT in the Reorient Store. So I’m looking for a source where I can buy cheap(er) knockoffs of the unavailable knockoffs of contemporary Chinese art.

I just think this is a great art installation, no matter if unintended as such. Who knows — these two dudes could be the Gilbert & George of China.

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I couldn’t have said it better myself, whatever it is he said.

Traditionally, analysts have cautioned that Chinese growth figures should be greeted with skepticism, but, according to one school of economic thought, there may be something to the idea that the quake served as a brutal stimulus. In fact, some economists argue that hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, ice storms, and the like, despite the widespread destruction they leave behind – indeed, largely because of it – can spur economic growth.

Rebuilding efforts serve as a short-term boost by attracting resources to a country, and the disasters themselves, by destroying old factories and old roads, airports, and bridges, allow new and more efficient public and private infrastructure to be built, forcing the transition to a sleeker, more productive economy in the long term.

Because of this upgrade in technology and efficiency, disasters might actually spur innovation:

Studies have found that earthquakes in California and Alaska helped stir economic activity there, and that countries with more hurricanes and storms tend to see higher rates of growth. Some of the most recent work has found a link between disasters and subsequent innovation.

There are critics of such findings, who point to the negative effects of diverted human energy and natural resources lost, but there are numerous striking examples of the long-term value:

The research on longer-run effects, its supporters argue, is less vulnerable to this criticism, because the key factor is not merely new stuff but better stuff. In this model, disasters perform the economic service of clearing out outdated infrastructure to make way for more efficient replacements – Mother Nature’s contribution to what the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter famously called capitalism’s “creative destruction.” The economy, as it recovers, actually becomes more productive than it was before, and some economists argue that the effect can be seen decades after the disaster.

Of course, those individuals who are killed by natural disasters, or their friends and families, might have a different opinion about the value of capitalism’s and Mother Nature’s “creative destruction”, but chances are good that many of us living today are better off thanks to horrible disasters endured by our predecessors. Which should make you feel better about “taking one for the team” by living through our current economic disaster, if it helps to improve the future prospects of our children and grandchildren.

Check out the amazing images of the Buddha’s Caves in the New York Times slideshow that accompanies this article online.