An angel of desolation
Solitude and loneliness are at the heart of Zeng Fanzhi's latest creations, huge landscapes, a radical departure from his earlier work and an indication of the Beijing-based artist's new found maturity, writes Wang Jie.
Following an eye-catching solo exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2003, artist Zeng Fanzhi retreated from the public focus. One of the reasons for this was that Zeng resides in Beijing, another - he was engaged in producing a new series.
ShanghART Gallery, one of the earliest galleries of contemporary art in Shanghai, embraces Zeng's return as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations next month.
If Zeng's "mask series" with those hollow eyes still lingers in the mind, then his new "landscape series" will come as a surprise.
Apart from the subject matter, its the overwhelming size plus the air that permeates the canvases that indicate Zeng has matured a great deal from the once aggressive and emotional young man.
Some of the canvases, three meters by two meters, were at first unable to be moved from the artist's studio. Zeng had to remove his door to get them out.
Large paintings when viewed, suggest certain sublime things on the surface. In fact, the images are often a summary of social realities, and this is particularly the case with landscapes.
Zeng's "landscape series" appear chaotic while at the same time controlled. The wild and twisting curves contrast with their beautiful and harmonious backdrops. The abstract and realistic elements are juxtaposed simultaneously.
The focus of the artist has switched from his former existential trauma to his recent imaginings about the interactive relationship between human beings and nature.
Born in 1964 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Zeng learned oil painting at the local art academy.
"I lived near a hospital at that time," recalls the artist. "So I became familiar with death, pain and cruelty when I was young."
Perhaps that explains his exceptional sensibility, maturity and the control evident in Zeng's brushstrokes when compared with many of his peers.
Even in his "landscape series," the viewers find nothing entangled with romance nor anything sweet or bourgeois. Instead, these landscapes with their cold, dark shadings and colors indicate the tensions in mankind's soul.
Loneliness no matter how hidden wafts over Zeng's landscapes and it's at the core of the artist's creations.
Viewers might imagine Zeng's life is filled with solitude, despite the fact that he is among the front line of Chinese contemporary artists and he's happily married. These factors don't interfere with his art, which might be regarded as saying that we're all like a lonely island out in the Pacific Ocean.
Date: 1-6pm, September 2-30
Address: Bldg 18, No. 50 Moganshan Rd
Tel: 021-63593923
An angel of desolation(Over)
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