Contemporary Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi, hailing from Wuhan in Hubei Province, first burst onto the art scene in 1991 with his extremely expressionist Hospital Series, which was followed in 1994 by the symbolic- metaphorical "Mask Series". These and a number of other works established Zeng as a painter of international standing, his highly individualized artistic language quickly becoming his trademark. In addition to being very much at home in expressionist styles, Zeng has also produced a number of works in which he controls his more exuberant creative urges to focus on the hands or faces of his subject matter. In constant search of new ways of articulation, Zeng began to add abstract elements to his art, and since 2001 the mask symbolism that long dominated his portrait output disappeared from his work: now the previously hidden faces with their expressions of conflict and pain are suddenly revealed to the observer. Free-lowing lines and brushstrokes add a new emotional dimension to his portrayals, and the "We Series", on which the artist began to work in 2002, is in many ways representative of the artist's entire expressive spectrum even though it was completed in about a year's time. It went on show at the Shanghai Fine Arts Museum in a 2003 solo exhibition titled "I·We".

Art critic Huang Du wrote about Zeng's "We Series", "The Core of Zeng's painting is the movement of strokes, which negates all nar- rative features and language. Yet there is a very individual logic to the paintings' pat- terns and rhythm." Huang goes on to explain the artist's creative method: first outline a lucid image that serves as the center of the composition, and then apply color with two simultaneously wielded brushes. The one between the index inger, middle inger and thumb of the right hand controls the outlow of the artist's habits, his rationality and his experiences. The one between the middle inger and the ring inger of the same hand gives free expression to the artist's creative powers, unrestrained by logic or reason. This is how a subtle balance is achieved between the concrete and the abstract. In terms of brushwork and attention to ine detail, Zeng stands out as one of the most meticulous workers among modern Chinese artists.

Zeng himself believes that the Chinese people's habit of eating with chopsticks has given them particularly dexterous hands. He declares that when painting with a "smooth brush" (with the grain, so to speak) he felt that brushstrokes remained brushstrokes without much expressive quality. This changed radically when he painted "against the grain". What does this mean? Zeng likes to employ simple colors, relying on the ap- plication of numerous layers and shades to make his monochrome compositions come alive. Following the spiral brushstroke phase of the "We Series", Zeng has recently begun to put more emphasis on rhythmically low- ing strokes reminiscent of Chinese calligra- phy. These clearly dominate his recent "Wild Cursive Series". Looking back, then, one can say that the "We Series" was a crucial juncture and turning point in Zeng's creative development and that through a long arc from expressionism via symbolism and abstract expressionism, the artist has finally redis- covered his roots in the Chinese tradition. In his latest oeuvre, the Chinese elements are reverberating with especial force, both in terms of formal arrangement and brush- stroke execution. We are witnessing a painter deeply involved in the fascinating process of tapping new creative resources and exploring new artistic possibilities.

As for the "We Series", the composition of every single face begins with the outlining of distinct basic contours, which are elaborated with spiral brushstrokes gliding purposefully across the canvas. This creates an oscil- lating effect of vagueness, with the image now appearing out of the rounded strokes, now disappearing again behind the spiraled lines. It is as if the iconic representation we are looking at is being cut into countless segments, and a sense of destructive power prevails, paradoxically achieved through round strokes and soft color. The more lines are added, the blurrier the image becomes, until the face seems to gradually vanish behind a curtain of raindrops on a pane of frosted glass. But then you take a few steps back, and immediately the facial features become visible again. Zeng half-jokingly dubs this technique as "skin run through the meat grinder", which is one way to describe the feeling of visual anxiety generated by the painting's segmentation through spiraled strokes. Zeng says, "I start with the smallest single meaningful unit, and then proceed to expand it from there, until I have illed the en- tire canvas with my personal vision. Circles and spirals are also a kind of symbolic code, representing the cruel reality of destruction and deconstruction as the face is broken up into many small parts." During a conversa- tion with the artist, art critic Su Xianting once praised the "We Series" as the exceptional work of a true master. Su's opinion is that while Zeng's earlier works excel because of their polished and integrated style, the "We Series" exudes true magnificence and vi- sion. The details, all the component parts are raised to prominent status in the process of abstraction.

The "We Series", for all its innovative drive, by no means represents a complete break with Zeng Fanzhi's earlier work. As the art- ist himself agrees, these iconic images span the entire range of his creative strength, rooted in the past and pointing to the future. We can already catch the irst glimpses and adumbrations of the spiral brushstroke style in the "Hospital" Series, in particular in the small details of figures and objects, such as the creases and folds in the fabric of clothes. In other words, this special technique was developed over many years, and has become second nature to the artist, the most natural way to express himself. Ever since the "Hos- pital" Series and the "Mask Series", evasive pink tones have been the artist's preferred color. In the 2002-2003, "We Series", shades of pink and red are again the dominant colors. Art critic Liu Xiaochun feels that Zeng's palette is also making a political statement, reflecting a collective memory of the Cultural Revolution, albeit a memory that is gradually sinking to the depths of the subconscious.

The face of Mao Zedong is an image etched in the minds of all Chineses who have lived through the period of the Great Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards. The process by which this collective memory is slowly metamorphosing, and eventually fading, is aptly mirrored in this painting: from con- crete reality to abstracted entity, from direct concern to distanced observation, from a unique face with characteristic features to a formulaic countenance devoid of any distinc- tive qualities - through all these steps and phases, this "abstract" Mao Zedong relects the development of Chinese society since the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, so Zeng Fanzhi, "That is me, and it is us."