Ink and watercolor on paper

33 × 34.5 cm. 13 x 13 5/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and pinyin, dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by present Asiacollector from the artist

The Imprint of Time
Zhang Xiaogang’s Rare Watercolor Bloodline Series
Zhang Xiaogang rose to eminence in the arts world thanks to his highly symbolic Bloodline Series. Since 1993, he has continually based his paintings on family photos from the Cultural Revolution as a means of evoking familial relationships during this special chapter of China’s history. The work for auction today, Young Woman, belongs to this series and was completed in 1999 using inks and watercolors. Zhang Xiaogang rarely paints using these materials; fewer than 30 of his creations on the market are watercolor paintings, with only six of them belonging to the Bloodline Series, making Young Woman a rare and coveted work. In the simple details of this intimate portrait, the artist masterfully evokes the state of Chinese society under Mao’s rule, thus bringing to the forefront the complex relationship between individuals and their greater historical context. The flecks and spots on the woman’s face seemingly serve to reflect personal suffering and uncertainty during the Cultural Revolution.
The characters depicted in Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline Series all share similar traits. In Young Woman, the subject is depicted alone. Her features are indistinct and unremarkable, giving her a sense of anonymity and replaceability. Unlike Zhang’s oil paintings, which recreate the stillness of photos, the use of watercolors in this series creates fluidity and instability, further solidifying the impression that subjects could be substituted without consequence.
The first layer of meaning that the artist seeks to convey in this work is the uncertainty of personal fates within dire historical circumstances as well as the loss of individuality in a collectivist environment. When depicting the subjects of this series, Zhang abandons the smooth texture and realism of his prior oil paintings in favor of simple watercolor lines, using different shades of pink to create depth. The distinct brushstrokes along the face here are reminiscent of scars and serve a similar role to Zhang’s trademark “light stains”. These symbols of internal and external trauma divide the young woman’s face into different zones, reducing the realism of the work. This uncharacteristically impressionistic approach is Zhang’s way of highlighting differences between individual circumstances: at this point in history, if an individual did not have the opportunity to be a part of a family portrait, the memory of what they looked like would inevitably fade with the passage of time. Although the artist cannot depict the lost subject in realistic detail, he can nonetheless create a stirring portrait of anonymous suffering — of the psychological wounds shared by an entire generation.

Price estimate:
HKD: 280,000 - 380,000
USD: 35,800 - 48,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 330,400