"Sky" is a major work from Zeng Fanzhi's classic "Sky Series", which he painted from 2004, embodying his universal themes of angst, uneasiness and bewilderment an individual feels in a chaotic and unyielding world. A lone figure standing on a hill, hands in pocket, confusion, puzzlement, and bewilderment etched on his face has become instantly recognizable to Zeng's admirers worldwide as one of his key representations of the isolated and lonely individual in an increasingly alienating society.

Zeng's "Sky Series" however, offers much more in the way of light, hope and even personal redemption than his previous series of works such as his famous "Mask Series". While earlier body of works suggested man's struggle with an uncaring world brought suffering and angst with no escape, his "Sky Series" seems to imply that hope and redemption can be achieved through contemplation and inward awareness. The most inward looking of contemporary Chinese artists Zeng's works have always been a deep exploration of his inner psyche and the fears and terrors encountered there. Deeply influenced by European expressionists especially Robert Rauschenberg and Edvard Munch, Zeng has definitively broken the mold of Chinese realism and representational art, letting the painful innermost workings of his mind pour out on his canvases. Obsessed with the individual, his fears and anxieties in an alienating society, and the masks he wears to cover up his terrors, in the "Sky Series" Zeng suggests that some form of inner quietness and calmness even contentment may be achieved.

Zeng's depiction of the young man dressed in a great flowing overcoat, hands stuffed in pockets, gazing off into the far distance suggests an aloofness, a separateness from the world that creates a grandeur. Standing tall and upright, with an almost regal bearing, the individual seems preoccupied with contemplation and reflection. Zeng's "Sky Series" was inspired by his experiences in youth, when troubled, he liked to lie on the ground staring at the sky. His mind could contemplate great wonders as the sky seemed to open up an infinity of possibilities, a broadness of thought, that could be found nowhere else.

When he moved to Beijing, he missed the uncluttered view of the sky he had had as a child, the memories of it deeply embedded in his mind. As the initial alienation he felt on moving to a large city, the inspiration for his "Mask Series", began to wane, and he began to feel more comfortable in his own skin, his memories of the satisfaction of looking at the unending sky began to play into his art.

If hope is to be found for a bewildered individual, it would be found from pondering greater truths outside of oneself, rather than stewing in the nightmarish thoughts of the inner mind. Zeng is a master at representing the inner turmoil and perplexities faced by young Chinese in a modern society that is so fast moving and ever changing. The apparently sophisticated and suave urbanite with the puzzled and strained expression on his face, articulates the fundamental isolation and bafflement, which results from an internal lack of knowledge of who he really is. However, the painting is full of light, with the all-encompassing great white sky in the background, as the glow of the evening sun lights up the individual's face dramatically. He seems to hold open his coat as he welcomes the warmth and clarity offered by the sunlight, and while still bewildered and perplexed redemption is being offered. His inner psyche may still be troubled, but a path out of the wilderness is being offered. The dark grasses of the hill on which he is standing are a small part of the scene, as the individual rises above his inner most fears and worries, and looks steadfastly ahead into brightness.

As an expressionistic painter, all parts of Zeng's canvas have meaning and profundity. Wild and menacing grasses are suggestive of the inner turmoil created by uncontrolled fears and senses. Large open skies are indicative of a conduit for contemplation and reflection. Colors are also very important, with dark hues representational of the dark workings going on deep in the mind as with the grasses and hill, while the bright green of the coat evokes positive feelings and lightness, with wisps of blue in the white sky adding to the feeling of unconstraint. A realm of hope exists in this individual's world as he stoically and steadfastly faces into the bright sunlight, appearing to be psychologically strong enough to face his demons, and stand resolute in the face of anything a bewildering world can throw at him.

Zeng stands out in many ways from his peers in contemporary Chinese art, displaying an uncommon maturity both in terms of expression and technique. Primarily concerned with the inner world, his body of work reflects his deep psychological unease and search for meaning in a bewildering new world. While his contemporaries mostly focused on political and social issues in a newly open and emerging China, Zeng from the beginning of his career focused on the alienation and detachment of the individual in a frightening new environment. Zeng is not just unique in his themes, he is also an experimental technician in painting methods and particularly in the great Chinese tradition of brush strokes and use of space. Both his universal theme of the pain of alienation and detachment and his masterful use of the paintbrush have brought him worldwide recognition and made him one of the most important of Chinese contemporary artists.

Zeng was born in Wuhan in Hubei Province in 1964. As a child, he was introverted and was deeply affected by the chaos and irrationality in the society of his youth. His psyche was deeply traumatized by what it observed and art was the only outlet for his inner turmoil. He was immediately attracted to German Expressionism at the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, and his studies were to have a life-long influence on his works and techniques. Wild strokes, fleshy colors and brooding expressions were to become part of his hallmarks and were to allow him to express his angst and alienation in apocalyptic imagery and colors. However, such introspection and expressionistic tendencies found little acceptance in his native Wuhan and so in 1994 Zeng moved to Beijing. Here, he suffered the full trauma of alienation and disconnection.

Zeng's body of work is a detailed expression of his psychological state at each period in his life. Unlike most of his contemporaries who are happy to stick with winning formulas in their artwork, Zeng has consistently introduced new series of works, and pushed the boundaries of his artistic style to constantly create new and arresting expressions of his inner-state. His "Sky" series is now one of his most acclaimed set of works, and the present work is an outstanding piece from this series.