One of the most striking aspects of Yue Minjun's works is the ingenuity with which he here configures his satirical self-portrait in new and compelling settings and compositions. The laughing faces in Yue’s works have not rue individual character. With their eyes shut and teeth bared, they represent the collective psychological disposition of a generation too jaded to comport to expected norms or behaviors. The absurdity of the hysterical laugh is also what continues to make his works contemporary in a sociopolitical context: the self-portrait has become standardized, making its repetition a direct comment on the extremes and contradictions inherent in China's path to modernization.

In Untitled (Lot 31), Yue Minjun’s iconic smiling face belongs to a figure depicted singing and playing music on the tree in an exaggerated pose. Through crafting this stylized self-portrait, the artist usurps the idolization of Mao Zedong in art from the Cultural Revolution. The imagery is often incorporated in surreal and absurd scenarios, indicating the artist’s own satirical and often cynical worldview, thus satirizing the lack of spirituality in contemporary times. The figure’s smiles do not simply indicate happiness, but rather relay the complicated undercurrent of feelings that lie behind these toothy grins which reveal the deep gulf that lies between idealism and reality.