Zeng Fanzhi 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 has also been an experimental technician in painting methods and particularly in the great Chinese tradition of brush strokes and use of space. Both his universal themes 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 Fanzhi was born in Wuhan in Hubei P r o v i n c e i n 1 9 6 4 . 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 lifelong 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. While still in Wuhan, he produced his first two series of works “Hospital” and “Meat” both of which were directly influenced by horrifying early experiences for the young introvert. In the 1960’s most homes in China didn’t have a bathroom. The young Zeng had to use the one in the local hospital. His sensitivities were traumatized by the chaotic scenes he witnessed there on a daily basis. His resulting “Hospital” series typically depicts uncaring doctors and terrified patients. “Meat”, his second series, results from his experience of passing by his local butchers on his way to and from school everyday. In the heat of summer, the only way for the workers to cool down was to lie on the frozen carcasses which resulted in them being covered in blood. For the highly sensitive Zeng, this was deeply disturbing.

On moving to Beijing Zeng was hoping to find acceptance and understanding of his art. Instead he found himself isolated and cut off from the mainstream. Faced with loneliness, detachment and alienation, he produced his “Mask” series for which he has become most famous. The face of each of his protagonists is hidden by a flat mask which sublimates all expression and feeling. Well-dressed, professional, young urbanites mask their true inner selves subjugating their feelings and emotions, and negating their lives. After the “Mask” series, Zeng started to move to more abstract forms. In 2000, he began to depict figures without masks. These figures may have regressed even more than his masked char acter s as their vacant and expressionless eyes are empty and hauntingly portray the loneliness and isolation of the i n d i v i d u a l . A s i n a l l Z e n g ’s w o r k s the depicted persons have very large hands in strong poses seemingly emphasizing that although we can hide our inner most feelings most carefully behind an expressionless face our agitated hands will always betray our true inner turmoil.

The “Unmask the Mask” series also marks a deeper connection for Zeng with traditional Chinese painting techniques. Combining expressionism with the abstractness of traditional Chinese water and ink painting, The figures often float suspended in an empty background while any details are portrayed in a very minimalist way, allowing Zeng to emphasize the isolation and detachment of his character. This very forceful effect is taken directly from traditional Chinese paintings. Zeng’s brush strokes are also strongly influenced by traditional Chinese water and ink brush strokes. Large single strokes with wide brushes create an abstract feeling while narrow brush strokes are used to create strong, emphatic lines reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy.

In 2004, Zeng began to produce landscapes, and figures isolated in landscapes. The present work comes from this period. While the paintings with figures continue his theme of detachment, loneliness and alienation, the landscape pictures seem to offer some sort of redemption. Wild and chaotic strokes depict strong and vibrant grasses growing around mountains and blowing freely in the wind. It’s as if Zeng is finally beginning to accept that his deep emotional inner turmoil and perturbations are something natural and part of nature, something not to be afraid of, something to be let loose and freed no matter how frightening, to be unconstrained and ultimately to be unmasked.

This lot “Landscape” depicts wild grasses growing luxuriantly around a dark brooding mountain set against a white sky splashed with red at dusk. Zeng has moved away from his earlier expressionism and has moved closer to the abstractness and spiritualism of traditional Chinese art. The grasses are strong and chaotic in dark colors, almost net like, or a wild plant in our nightmares entangling and ensnaring us. The dark colors of the brooding mountain add further to a sense of uneasiness. However, the white and reds of the sky bring a sense of peace and calmness. While our emotions and feelings as represented by the grasses are chaotic and frightening, they are not something we need to repress or run away from. As night falls, the grasses are strong, vigorous and vibrant perhaps like our deepest emotions and thoughts.

Zeng’s masterful brush strokes add to the heightened sense of power and emotion. They are indicative of his free flowing and subconscious painting style, allowing his moods and emotions to flow onto the canvas. Zeng uses two brushes held in one hand between different fingers to create his chaotic, wild strokes. Just as with a pair of chopsticks, one brush is held firmly with three fingers while the second one moves freely between two fingers. The first one creates deliberate thought out strokes, the second follows, freely creating whatever lines it wants. The first stroke is like our conscious, controlled thoughts, the second stroke like our wild, uncontrolled emotions allowing Zeng to create an abstract landscape of our inner psychological state. This psychological state is further represented by the peaceful and calm sky juxtaposed with the dark, mysterious hill covered in wild vigorous grasses. Calmness and turmoil are wonderfully rendered.

Zeng’s brush technique has created a new representational language combining the logical and irrational. The logical mind sits side by side with the unconscious, intuitive and emotional mind, just as the two brushes sit side by side in the hand. The deep linear marks stroked into the surface of the painting draw attention to the surface of the painting and the chaotic nature of the grasses. This is highly reminiscent of the abstract calligraphic representational techniques of ancient Chinese art.

Zeng Fanzhi’s oeuvre charts a major exploration of the emotional and psychological state of the artist in an alienating and chaotic society. Zeng’s unique voice is the true voice of an artist as he expresses his innermost turmoil and deep emotional disturbances.