ZHONG CHENG

Zhong Cheng 2024 Autumn Auction「Modern And Contemporary Art」

  • Zhong Cheng 2020 Autumn Auction「Modern And Contemporary Art」
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    195

    ZENG FANZHI (b.1964)

    Rose

    約1993

    Oil on Canvas
    44.5 x 54 cm

    Estimate TWD 3,800,000-5,600,000
    USD 128,600-189,400
    HKD 0-0

    Hammer Price TWD 4,560,000
    USD 156,971
    HKD 1,225,806

Provenance：Acquired from the Suiei-Yuan Art Museum

Illustrated：

Exhibition：

Exposition：


“I have something deep in my heart. It moves me and can never be wiped out. I will surely express and release it. It is in fact an uncontrollable feeling, and it is this feeling that gives birth to my paintings."
- Zeng Fanzhi

Zeng Fanzhi’s style is one that is meticulous and distinct. Unlike his contemporary counterparts whose works are meant as poignant attacks on the unjust, he roams freely through the spiritual realm, voicing an outcry for the lonely and the restless to rise among the most important contemporary artists in China. Born in 1964 in Hubei Province, Zeng  was a student in the Department of Oil Painting in Hubei Institute of Fine Art, and was influenced by German Expressionism. Hospital Triptych, a revelation of heartfelt pain and angst, made him a sensation in the art circle. Later, Mask Series 1996 No.6 and The Last Supper put him in the spotlight, shattering world records for auction sales of contemporary Asian art. His works are among the collections in Shanghai Art Museum in China, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan and Allen Memorial Art Museum in the U.S. He has also been featured in a large number of group and solo exhibitions, including the 1993 exhibition, Behind the Mask at Hanart TZ Gallery in Hong Kong; the 1996 exhibition, China!, which toured Germany, Austria, Poland and Denmark; the 48th Venice Biennial in 1999; Towards a New Image: Twenty Years of Contemporary Chinese Painting in 2001; the 2007 and 2010 solo exhibitions, Zeng Fanzhi at Musee d'art Moderne in France and Gagosian Gallery in Hong Kong.

In early 1992, contrary to his college friends, who set out to explore the carefree and boundless steppes of Tibet and Loess Plateau, Zeng Fanzhi chose to stay in Wuhan, his hometown. He observed the familiar streets and sufferings among people, transforming them into the stunning Hospital series. The Meat series, also done in Western Expressionism, is the likely birthplace of Roses. Dominated by red and white, the roses are delineated with contours so thick and coarse that they were meant for depicting human flesh. Roses large and small in varying forms resemble all walks of life. In the midst of the pale petals, a seeming glimpse of flesh peeks through, mirroring human blood that flows with warmth and morphs into the ever changing human expressions. Right before the paint dried, recurring strokes ran across the canvas without any hint of hesitation, and brought this painting to life. What was balanced and saturated is now invaded by the profusion of twists and turns, a clue of Zeng ’s attempt to break the status quo. Roses is not merely an unintentional splendor generated during transition, but also an inspiration that gave way to the iconic Hospital Triptych, taking this serene and yet overflowing sense of humanity to yet another height. 

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