Zeng Fanzhi, 面具系列第十六号, Oil on canvas, 1994. Artnet.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/zeng-fanzhi/mianjuxiliedishiliuhao-meRjwZrh8PjW-Ev-YqVczQ2

 

Zeng Fanzhi, born in 1964, is a contemporary Chinese painter who grew up in Wuhan in the Hubei province (Shiff, 2010). Having grown up during the Cultural Revolution, a time where there was constant struggle, Zeng turned to painting as to escape and also portray the troubles going on in China. He attended the Hubei Academy of Fine Arts where he became fascinated with Western art, in particular German Expressionist painting (Artnet). In his works, Zeng comments on the adverse economic and societal effects that the Revolution had on China as many dealt with issues of identity and loss. His works reflect both Western and Eastern styles as he reveals his observations and experiences, while remarking on Chinese tradition and Westernization (The Art Story). Pictured above is one of Zeng’s paintings from his Mask Series, where he depicts various natives in masks which come to represent ‘loss, alienation, and the whitewashing of Asian identity’ (The Art Story).

 

Bibliography:

“Zeng Fanzhi” Artnet.

“Zeng Fanzhi: Overview and Analysis” The Art Story.

Shiff, Richard. Zeng Fanzhi. Hatje Cantz, November 30, 2010.