Sitting Man, from Mask Series, 2006

Artist Zeng Fanzhi blurs the line between the realistic and abstract. His work conveys human emotion yet focuses just as intensely on artistic technique.

As a painter, Fanzhi chooses oil paint as his medium. Although also a sculptor, most of his art is oil on canvas paintings which are done in a contemporary style. Fanzhi takes inspiration from the Post-Impressionism movement, but clearly makes his own path by utilizing opposing colors, exaggerated human features, and thought-provoking subjects. This can be seen in his painting “Mask Series No.3” where the Chinese subjects are wearing masks—hiding their faces, yet revealing their feelings. The abstract flair in this painting exaggerates the subjects’ hands and accents the shading and colors.

His theme is often the blurring of both history and the reimagined. The artist uses human emotion to draw a common thread throughout history and uses well-known historical depictions to show how all of humanity is connected through expression. For example, his “Last Supper” employs the reimagining of the Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. Fanzhi interprets the renaissance painting into a new creation, using Chinese subjects and writing to show his own culture. His work intends to invoke empathy and critical thought about representation. (Artist Website)