PROVENANCE:

Acquired directly from the artist by the previous owner

EXHIBITED:

Zeng Fanzhi Art Exhibition, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts Gallery, Wuhan, Hubei, 1990

ILLUSTRATED:

L. Pi and L. He, eds, I/WE: The Painting of Zeng Fanzhi 1991-2003, Wuhan, 2003, illustrated, p. 172

Scapes - The Paintings of Zeng Fanzhi 1989-2004, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, ShangART, Shanghai, 2004, color illustrated, p. 9

Zeng grew up in troubled times during the Cultural Revolution, and man's angst and aloneness in a disjointed, inharmonious world has become a central theme of his paintings. "Untitled" is an apocalyptic vision of family down on its luck, living in poverty and wretchedness. Depicting a family crouching together in their misery, Zeng's ability to express tremendous emotions and feelings is already clearly seen in this painting. The dejection and misery of the mother holding an infant is powerfully rendered, while the helplessness of the young father is forcefully conveyed as he sits scrunched up in dejection. The vacant stare of the old grandfatherly figure is reminiscent of Zeng's ability to depict the state of the soul through the eyes.

In "Untitled" the hallmarks of Zeng's expressionistic style are already to be seen. The huddled family is reminiscent of medieval religious paintings, with the focus on their misery and destitution. The influence of "primitivism" is seen in the depictions of the figures in a blockish general style. Dark and subdued colors are used to create a melancholic and sad effect, a characteristic of Zeng's later works.

"Untitled" is a clear forerunner of Zeng's "Hospital" and "Meat" series which were to follow very early in the 1990s especially the raw, fleshy colors and apocalyptic view of reality. Elements of Zeng's most successful series, the "Mask Series" are also seen, especially the powerful depiction of the inner state and angst of the figures.

As the most creative and innovative of contemporary Chinese painters, Zeng's body of work is sought after for the subjective nature of his ruminations, his contemplation of daily experiences happening around him and their resulting effect on the fragile psychology of individuals, none more so than his own subjective feelings. "Untitled" is a key work, with a clear and poignant roadmap of the course of Zeng's future works.