In describing Zhang Jijun's paintings as "the ultimate absurd", I certainly don't intend to suggest that Zhang is the last artist to deal with absurdity as a theme, or that his works approximate the extremes of absurdity. Rather, given the current state of affairs in Chinese contemporary art, I refer to Zhang's paintings to evoke a diminishing consciousness. Recognition of the absurd forms the very basis of this consciousness; not only does it bare the fact of human existence, but it embodies a kind of comprehension. Actually, the absurd as a theme was the most captivating theme for the 80's generation of Chinese artists. They employed the vocabulary of absurdity in a time when the liberalizing trends of Chinese society shattered the epic narratives of collectivism and enabled them, in quitting these narratives, to directly confront questions about humanity. What is man? Where does he come from? Where is he going? These questions, largely unexplored by Chinese artists in the past, suddenly seized---overwhelmed---this new generation. These inquiries account for the appeal of the existentialist philosophy of Western thinkers such as Sartre and Camus; they also provided the setting for the absurd subjects which the 80's artists were eager to render. Of course, absurdity as interpreted by the Chinese artists was not the same as that of existentialism; more accurately, the contrast between East and West pointed the Chinese artists to the absurd nature of our society. But even so, they found in the absurd a path to reflection, and managed to emerge from the dark shadows of collectivism and return art to the human. I still hold the opinion that the themes touched on by the 80's generation is profound, even if the works are to some extent immature. In light of art today which writes social reality bluntly, their inquiries into the depths of what it means to be human are still viable. After the 90's, Chinese contemporary art came largely under the influence of "the Other's" lenses, which is to say that it seeks to represent an exotic social reality to the West in an era of globalization. This relatively narrow focus overlooks deeper, inner needs, and leaves us with a sense of pity for that which the art scene is no longer. This is precisely why I became interested in the works of Zhang Jijun.Zhang's works form an entirely personal narrative, having to do with his own life experiences or perhaps certain unique perceptions---just like how the facade of the entrance to an edifice recurs in his paintings. An inexorable figure, it would not linger so obstinately had his memories not been so deeply imprinted with the stamps of that distant era. Actually, it's not just the facade, but we find many seemingly familiar images in Zhang's works: galloping heroes, children playing at dusk, kites flying high in the sky, young people playing the guitar on the lawn, and so on. These images and scenes not only strand together an individual's experiences growing up, but evoke the memories of an entire generation. Certainly, young men have all had heroic dreams; the "little comic books" of that era depicted not only the heroes of ancient battlefields, but provided an outlet for dreaming, enabling the young dreamer to dance and fly, kite-like, on the wings of his dreams. Time acquires meaning through our remembrance; unrecorded, its passage is meaningless and void. Of course, we can't control time, for it adheres to its own passage. Perhaps it is the very discrepancy between our conscious awareness and the passage of time that points us to the ultimate incredulity of existence, and thus, we are full of sighs. Zhang Jijun's works come from his reflections on the passing of time; they are less depictions of the changing times than ruminations on life itself with its unfathomable mysteries. Zhang's ultimate theme is man, if only because man can never comprehend who he is? Where exactly does he come from? Where is he going? Hence, legitimate existence becomes transformed under Zhang's brush, little by little, into the subject of the absurd.