PRINTCatalogue Note:
ARMANI
ZENG Fanzhi
In contemporary Chinese art realm, Zeng Fanzhi stands out among his peers no matter which angle you look at him from. A rare mastery in his methods of expression and technique can be seen. His works focus largely on the inner world of emotions, reflecting a strong sense of insecurity that seeks meaning in a chaotic new world. Compared to his contemporaries of the same time period, most of whom rose out of political and societal issues of a developing China, Zeng focuses his attention on the alienation and indifference of the individual in this frightening new environment. Not only are the themes of his works unique, he has also done a lot of researches in regard to the brushwork and spatial arrangements of Chinese classics. His constant theme - the pain of alienation and indifference - coupled with his skillful brushwork makes him one of the most important contemporary Chinese artists recognized worldwide.
Hailing from Wuhan, Hubei, contemporary artist Zeng Fanzhi rose to prominence in 1991 with the strong expressionistic style of his collaborative series “Hospital.” In 1994, he made himself known worldwide with the symbolic metaphors of his series “Mask,” and his highly personalized language became his trademark. Despite his mastery of expressionist techniques, he deliberately suppresses this talent of his, focusing solely on his subjects’ hands and facial expressions. In pursuit of a new artistic language, he continues to introduce abstract concepts into his works. The mask symbols of his past iconic works gradually faded out of his portraits in 2001, concealed within internal conflict and pained expressions instead of hiding behind masks. Through the liberal rhythm of his line work, he has attempted to introduce new emotions in experimentation of a new form of portraits in his “We” series in 2002. Though this series lasted for only a short period of one year, it incorporates the stages of Zeng Fanzhi’s creations that both precede and follow them. In 2003, a large-scale personal exhibition entitled “I/We” was held in the Shanghai Art Museum.
After 2000, Zeng Fanzhi’s “Portrait Series” expressed deep introspection. In the face of the cruelties of reality, the subjects of the paintings reveal their pain in their expressions. Portraits do not focus on capturing the actual objective appearances of their subjects, but on the expression of their inner qualities. Rich colors, rough lines and abstract forms give off the vibe of expressionism. The dejected and pained expressions hidden beneath faint smiles blur into the focal point of the images. For the pursuit of his own aesthetic expression, Zeng Fanzhi once stated that he excels at utilizing lines, colors and forms to convey his emotions. Zeng Fanzhi’s portraits all feature disproportionate heads and abnormally large hands. Without masks to conceal them, the thoughts and emotions of his subjects are laid bare for all to see. The peculiar reddish skin tones of the subjects are reminiscent of his early “Meat Series,” based on the themes of people and flesh. Standing before a white background, the people in his portraits are in helpless solitude, trapped in an atmosphere of unease and depression.
Evolving from his iconic Mask series, in 2003 Zeng Fanzhi began working on a series of portraits depicting celebrities, fellow artist’s, designers, and political leaders. Departing from the blank, staring visors of the previous series, in these works Zeng instead obscured the features of his recognizable subjects through rash, haphazard, and overlapping brushstrokes. Using multiple brushes of varying size simultaneously, the artist painted with two brushes at a time, the lines and the images created by the first brush were constantly destroyed by the lines and images that created by the later brush. Hence, the resultant lines remained on the canvas are extremely complex and embody many unexpected possibilities and coincidences. With this process of continual construction and destruction, the blur image was created on purpose by the artist, in which laid an ambiguous portrait beneath.
Whether shrouded by a literal mask, or by a more figurative screen of distorting paint, Zheng’s works capture either the mental or the physical anguishes that the modern people have today. He has a knee perspective to the surroundings that he was in and to the distress society where he sensed the solitary and the anxiety which also often appeared in the paintings as a crucial commentary. The artist intends to contemplate the spirit of the contemporary humanity and also he applies this philosophical thoughts onto his art. His significant perception and the constantly changing artistic languages have make him an icon in contemporary Chinese art realm.
ZENG Fanzhi
In contemporary Chinese art realm, Zeng Fanzhi stands out among his peers no matter which angle you look at him from. A rare mastery in his methods of expression and technique can be seen. His works focus largely on the inner world of emotions, reflecting a strong sense of insecurity that seeks meaning in a chaotic new world. Compared to his contemporaries of the same time period, most of whom rose out of political and societal issues of a developing China, Zeng focuses his attention on the alienation and indifference of the individual in this frightening new environment. Not only are the themes of his works unique, he has also done a lot of researches in regard to the brushwork and spatial arrangements of Chinese classics. His constant theme - the pain of alienation and indifference - coupled with his skillful brushwork makes him one of the most important contemporary Chinese artists recognized worldwide.
Hailing from Wuhan, Hubei, contemporary artist Zeng Fanzhi rose to prominence in 1991 with the strong expressionistic style of his collaborative series “Hospital.” In 1994, he made himself known worldwide with the symbolic metaphors of his series “Mask,” and his highly personalized language became his trademark. Despite his mastery of expressionist techniques, he deliberately suppresses this talent of his, focusing solely on his subjects’ hands and facial expressions. In pursuit of a new artistic language, he continues to introduce abstract concepts into his works. The mask symbols of his past iconic works gradually faded out of his portraits in 2001, concealed within internal conflict and pained expressions instead of hiding behind masks. Through the liberal rhythm of his line work, he has attempted to introduce new emotions in experimentation of a new form of portraits in his “We” series in 2002. Though this series lasted for only a short period of one year, it incorporates the stages of Zeng Fanzhi’s creations that both precede and follow them. In 2003, a large-scale personal exhibition entitled “I/We” was held in the Shanghai Art Museum.
After 2000, Zeng Fanzhi’s “Portrait Series” expressed deep introspection. In the face of the cruelties of reality, the subjects of the paintings reveal their pain in their expressions. Portraits do not focus on capturing the actual objective appearances of their subjects, but on the expression of their inner qualities. Rich colors, rough lines and abstract forms give off the vibe of expressionism. The dejected and pained expressions hidden beneath faint smiles blur into the focal point of the images. For the pursuit of his own aesthetic expression, Zeng Fanzhi once stated that he excels at utilizing lines, colors and forms to convey his emotions. Zeng Fanzhi’s portraits all feature disproportionate heads and abnormally large hands. Without masks to conceal them, the thoughts and emotions of his subjects are laid bare for all to see. The peculiar reddish skin tones of the subjects are reminiscent of his early “Meat Series,” based on the themes of people and flesh. Standing before a white background, the people in his portraits are in helpless solitude, trapped in an atmosphere of unease and depression.
Evolving from his iconic Mask series, in 2003 Zeng Fanzhi began working on a series of portraits depicting celebrities, fellow artist’s, designers, and political leaders. Departing from the blank, staring visors of the previous series, in these works Zeng instead obscured the features of his recognizable subjects through rash, haphazard, and overlapping brushstrokes. Using multiple brushes of varying size simultaneously, the artist painted with two brushes at a time, the lines and the images created by the first brush were constantly destroyed by the lines and images that created by the later brush. Hence, the resultant lines remained on the canvas are extremely complex and embody many unexpected possibilities and coincidences. With this process of continual construction and destruction, the blur image was created on purpose by the artist, in which laid an ambiguous portrait beneath.
Whether shrouded by a literal mask, or by a more figurative screen of distorting paint, Zheng’s works capture either the mental or the physical anguishes that the modern people have today. He has a knee perspective to the surroundings that he was in and to the distress society where he sensed the solitary and the anxiety which also often appeared in the paintings as a crucial commentary. The artist intends to contemplate the spirit of the contemporary humanity and also he applies this philosophical thoughts onto his art. His significant perception and the constantly changing artistic languages have make him an icon in contemporary Chinese art realm.