Zeng Fanzhi

Since 2000 Zeng has become increasingly interested in traditional Chinese art and culture, particularly the paintings and sculptures of the Northern Wei, Yuan, and Song Dynasties. Influenced by the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi—which are integral to traditional Chinese art—Zeng’s subject matter has slowly shifted from society to nature. In particular, his interest in scholar’s rocks inspired the creation of the Abstract Landscapes (2004–). In these works, dark, brooding landscapes are often obscured by complex linear brushstrokes or intertwining foliage. The artist has characterized these landscapes as reinterpretations of nature’s creation as opposed to depictions of an objective world. The tragic yet sublime desolation of these works echoes Zeng’s early portraiture.

The Abstract Landscapes have undergone many revisions and breakthroughs, most of which suggest Zeng’s shift toward abstraction. While early works incorporated imagery of the sky, fire, and animals, later works rely heavily on line and color and are removed from the figurative world. The references and emotions within his works have become more ambiguous, creating an uncertainty that opens up a kaleidoscopic range of potential interpretations. On close observation, the viewer notices the texture of the oils, cadence of the brushstrokes, overlaying of the lines, layering and mixing of color, and various conflicts and transitions within the canvas, while from afar, the viewer may interpret the forms as nebulae or electrical networks.

Aside from his landscape works, Zeng has continuously engaged with portraiture, often subverting the genre. For example, beginning in 2002 he employed circular brushwork to blur the outlines of his subjects’ faces. In Tiananmen (2004), the subjects are depicted at such close range that they are difficult to make out; in Van Gogh (2017), the figure seems to be in a perpetual state of destruction and reconstruction.

In 2014 the Louvre commissioned a painting inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People (1830) for which Zeng created From 1830 to Now, No. 4; hung next to the original, it united opposing styles and times under a common theme. Similarly, in 2017 the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, presented an exhibition of four works in which Zeng bridged Vincent van Gogh’s unique use of color and brushstroke with his own. Combining imagery from Western myths and religion, Zeng reaches across culture and history, opening up an entirely new artistic language.