Oil on canvas

80 x 80 cm. 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.

Signed in Chinese and Pinyin “Zeng Fanzhi” and dated “2005” on lower right.
Provenance：Acquired directly by the present owner from the artist.

Zeng Fanzhi
Infinite Sky at Eye Level：Thoughtful Reminiscence after Intensive Creation
The varying styles of Zeng Fanzhi demonstrate his extraordinary power of expression at every creation stage. He is highly renowned in the contemporary art circle of China. Between 2003-2004,Zeng Fanzhi searched for new aspiration in the artistic concept and distinction of traditional Song-Dynasty landscape of China instead of the rugged artistic style of German Expressionism,which led to the creation of Weeds Series. Zeng’s Sky series in 2004 was the new attempt in Zeng’s art career following his internationally renowned Mask and Weeds series. His works showcase strong lyric style that is infused with sceneries and people characteristics,extending the main appeal of the artist’s works while portraying more on brilliance,hope,and even personal redemption. From the early portraits with Western Expressionism colours to the return to traditional Chinese literati painting later,Zeng Fanzhi constantly reflect to express his inner sentiment through painting.
The work,Sky,unfolds in front of the spread of expanded cerulean gradients,where a clump of dense red-yellow flowers and leaves drooping from the upper left side and two men standing still under the tree shades. From a low visual angle,Zeng Fanzhi presents two men facing and overlooking far out together with uncertainty. The man on the left wears a Prussian blue coat and is speculated to be a military officer in uniform,judging from yellow emboss on his shoulders and the row of sparkling silver buttons on the chest. The man on the right wears the same dark blue coat with white shirt revealing from the open coat,who looks casual but he raises his right hand with the fist clenched,disclosing an intense atmosphere. After completing the large-block structure of figures,he applies his unique drawing method to wind around backward in horizontal direction and then pull out with a trail to deliberately blur and scatter the features of the figures’ faces,smearing the specificity of the figures but with more “universality.” Nonetheless,the two men standing and facing the wind seem to gradually vanish into the swirling breeze.
Zeng Fanzhi uses large area of blank for Sky to create a lyrical and poetic serenity,where the profound obsession from the man overlooking with head high denotes the infinite aspiration and vision for the future. Zeng mentioned that：“The Sky series was inspired by my childhood and I could be evoked with various wonderful imaginations simply by looking up the sky. We are always accompanied by the sky when we walk. Even today,I could still hear its voice and smell it.” The sky opened up infinite possibilities of broad ideas for young Zeng Fanzhi. Nonetheless,the artist has rarely enjoyed the spacious sky views since he moved to live in Beijing in 1994. At first,he recorded the early alienation of moving to a big city through the Mask series,establishing his own iconic language. Following the fading of alienation,he became accustomed to exhibit the true self and added the satisfaction of overlooking the infinite sky in childhood to his works. This Sky concedes an aloof indifference,where the brilliant colours seem to resemble the artist getting the suppression off the chests and talking freely about the future with his childhood company in one sunny afternoon. Nonetheless,everything is now remote and inaccessible. The work exhibits Zeng’s consistent expertise in portraying the impact and bewilderment perceived by urbanite of elegant and sophisticated wear in a fast-changing modern society. The artist incorporates doubts towards the real self into the painting by presenting a meticulous portray of the psychological state of the figures. The looming expression of confusion in the men in the painting reveals a perplexity and anxiety while the light-blue sky penetrated by dim light seems to incubate the infinite new hopes,presenting a mystery of sentimental nostalgia with slight surrealism. It is one special work of Sky series produced by Zeng Fanzhi.

Price estimate:
HKD：1,800,000 - 2,200,000
USD：232,300 - 283,900

Auction Result:
HKD: --