Z eng Fanzhi has travelled an unparalleled artistic journey, shifting his focus away from masks and portraits to conceive captivating, convoluted abstract landscapes. For almost twenty years, the indomitable contemporary Chinese artist has focused on his landscapes filled with branch-like brushwork, wonderfully fusing Western and Eastern techniques of painting. Untitled (2007) is a major example of his abstract landscape series that he began in 2004, concealing the image of three dancing figures from the famous Chinese Ballet Opera, The Red Detachment of Women, within his dramatic whirlwind of lines.

Graduating from the Oil Painting Department of the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 1990, Zeng first concentrated on painting subjects linked closely to his daily life, including masks, human portraits, and the hospital that he lived next door to. His early works reveal the strong influence of Western aesthetics and techniques, as seen for example in the strong expressionist style of his Hospital series. In an interview with Phong Bui, the artist describes how his work was rooted firmly in Western art forms until the turn of the millennium: “When I was growing up, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I studied Western painting; my entire training was Western art history. I wasn’t looking at any Chinese art at the time because there was a definitive break in traditional culture during the Cultural Revolution” (the artist quoted in Phong Bui, “Zeng Fanzhi with Phong Bui, The Brooklyn Rail, 9 December 2015, online). However, in the early 2000s, Zeng’s approach to painting underwent a significant transformation, combining elements of Western Abstract Expressionism, with traditional Eastern practices of calligraphy and Chinese landscape painting—shanshui hua (landscape paintings, literally “mountain and water paintings”) and shoujuan hua (scroll paintings).

Not only do his abstract landscapes recall the dynamic drip paintings of American Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock, they also reflect Chinese aesthetic traditions and Chinese literati sentiments. In particular, Zeng’s ability to illuminate otherwise dark scenes in works such as Untitled, evoke the styles of Tang and Song sanshui paintings, which use the juxtaposition of light and dark colours to emphasise the significance of line and texture.

Describing the significance of calligraphy and the powerful rhythmicality of his work, the artist explained: “People in the West initially thought of it [the motif of the branches] as a type of expressionistic brushwork. Early on, I, too, thought of it like this. But later I began to think of the branches as being related more to traditional Chinese calligraphy. So when painting, I would pay special attention to the rhythm and the spirit of the brush stroke with the belief that each stroke has its own movement and its own internal beauty. It’s different from Western expressionism, not because Western expressionism is superficial, but it’s characterised more by an external view of the brush, whereas calligraphy has more to do with the internal state of mind” (artist quoted in Amy Qin, “Artist Zeng Fanzhi on the Evolution of His Work and China’s Art Market”, The New York Times, 22 September 2016, online).

Further, Zeng’s stylistic shift was also influenced by his appreciation of the natural world and the beauty that can be found in the traditional. Explaining the initial inspiration of his abstract landscape series, the artist recalls his new found love of nature: “In 2002, I grew a pot of Chinese wisteria in my studio in Yanjiao. After the winter, all the leaves had fallen off, exposing the intertwining vines and branches in which I found a special beauty, and I felt inspired to paint a piece with ‘chaotic brushstrokes’” (the artist quoted in Du Ka, “Zeng Fanzhi’s Artistic Journey, Sotheby’s, 1 April 2014, online). Reiterating this sentiment, the artist later mused: “I like designing gardens, and to do that, you have to have a certain appreciation for the natural beauty of things like stones and plants. Emperor Huizong’s painting “Listening to the Qin” is the most beautiful painting from the Song dynasty. For more than 10 years, I’ve been observing the beauty of the pine tree in the painting. And when I travel to Japan and elsewhere, I now pay special attention to the pine trees. So it’s a combination of studying paintings and observing the real world” (artist quoted in Amy Qin, “Artist Zeng Fanzhi on the Evolution of His Work and China’s Art Market”, The New York Times, 22 September 2016, online). It is for this reason that Zeng turned his attention to landscape painting, incorporating his hypnotic branch motif into his abstract works that both conceal and reveal.

Lines, light and shadow dominate the landscape, and demonstrate Zeng’s unique artistic process. After injuring his right hand shortly after starting his new landscape series, Zeng was forced to paint with his left. Finding it difficult, the artist kept making mistakes, but these mistakes allowed him to find his singular artistic vision which won him critical and popular acclaim in China and across the world.

For his abstract landscapes including Untitled, Zeng paints with two paint brushes at the same time. As he applies paint with one, he simultaneously uses the other to scrape away the paint to create disruptions. This produces an incredibly rich, textured surface that absorbs the viewer’s gaze into the dark mass of its centre. Adding to the ominous mood of the painting, Zeng employs a dark, monochrome palette, strikingly different to that of his earlier works as typified by the bright, saturated colours of his Mask series.

Interestingly, in Untitled, the artist mixes narrative with his landscape painting, obscuring the three figures of the Chinese Ballet Opera, The Red Detachment of Women, and piquing the viewer’s interest. Dressed in the primary colours of blue, red and yellow, the forms of these dancing characters radiate from the background. The inclusion of these dancers is significant, as it displays Zeng’s new sincere appreciation of Chinese culture and the arts, while possibly also unveiling the artist’s interest in China’s complex recent history, with the ballet firmly connected to the Cultural Revolution. The Red Detachment of Women is a Chinese Ballet Opera that premiered in 1964, selected as one of the Eight Model Operas during the Cultural Revolution. Portraying the liberation of a peasant girl in Hainan Island and her rise through the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party, the ballet and its music is recognisable by millions today, symbolic of culture in 1960s China.

Untitled is a major example of Zeng’s unique artistic language, entangling the viewer in its labyrinthine landscape. Charged with an electric, rhythmic vibrancy, the work marvelously synthesises the Western notion of abstraction with the traditional Eastern practices of calligraphy and landscape painting, paying homage to Chinese culture and art forms with the inclusion of ballet dancers amidst the phantasmagorical composition.

曾 梵志的藝術歷程與眾不同，他一開始集中繪畫面具及人像，後期轉化為錯綜複雜、引人入勝的抽象風景。在最近20年間，他專注風景畫創作，以分叉錯開的樹枝狀鋪滿畫面，巧妙地融合東西方的繪畫技巧。自2004年開始，曾梵志開始創作一系列抽象風景畫。本作《無題》（2007年）以充滿戲劇張力、有如被旋風吹過的雜亂線條，掩蓋三個正在表演中國著名現代芭蕾舞劇《紅色娘子軍》的舞者的身影，堪稱這個系列的典範之作。

1990年，曾梵志畢業於湖北美術學院油畫系，當時他集中繪畫與日常生活息息相關的物件，包括面具、人像和住所旁邊的醫院。他的早期作品深受西方藝術美學和技巧的影響，例如「醫院」系列的強烈表現主義風格。在與馮・布伊的訪談中，曾梵志說自己的創作深受西方藝術的影響，直至2000年後才有所改變，他表示：「我成長於70年代末至80年代初，當時我學習的是西方繪畫，我的整個訓練都圍繞著西方藝術史。我當時沒有了解中國藝術，因為那時傳統文化因文化大革命而被隔絕」（藝術家與馮・布伊對談，〈曾梵志與馮・布伊〉，《布魯克林鐵路報》，2015年12月9日，網上資源）。到了2000年代初期，曾梵志的繪畫手法出現明顯的轉變，他開始將西方的抽象表現主義，與中國傳統的書法、山水畫和卷畫的概念和技巧共冶一爐。

他的抽象風景畫不但令人想起美國抽象表現主義藝術家傑克森・波拉克充滿動感的「滴畫」，更反映了中國的美學傳統及中國文人畫的氣質。本作展現曾梵志在畫面上以光線穿透黑暗場景的技巧，令人聯想到唐宋山水畫以深淺色相互配合、並強調線條及質感的風格。

談及書法與強烈的韻律感在其作品中的意義時，曾梵志如此道：「西方人一開始覺得這（樹枝）是一種表現主義的手法。早年間我也是這麼想的。但到了後來，我開始認為這些樹枝和中國傳統書法關係更大。所以畫畫的時候，我會特別注意筆觸的節奏和神韻，相信每一筆都有自己的運動和內在之美。這和西方的表現主義是不同的，不是因為西方的表現主義膚淺，而是因為它更多以筆觸的外觀為特徵，而書法則與內心境界關係更大。」（引述藝術家，秦穎撰，〈曾梵志，散步在中國藝術市場〉，《紐約時報》，2016年9月22日，網上資源）

除此之外，對自然世界和傳統文化的欣賞，也是曾梵志創作風格轉變的誘因。他談及其抽象風景畫系列最初的靈感時，回想起自己如何發掘對自然的熱愛：「2002年，我在燕郊的工作室種了一株紫藤。冬天時，葉子全掉光了以後，藤蔓交織在一起，有著一種很特別的美。受此啟發，我就畫了一幅『亂筆』」（引述藝術家，杜卡撰，〈曾梵志的心中丘壑〉，《蘇富比》，2014年4月1日，網上資源）。當藝術家其後再談論到當時的情緒時，他表示：「我喜歡設計花園，做這項工作時，你得懂得欣賞石頭和植物這些自然事物的美。宋徽宗的《聽琴圖》是宋朝最美麗的畫。十幾年來，我一直在觀察這幅畫裡那棵松樹的美。而當我現在到日本或其他地方旅遊時，我會特別留意松樹。所以這是把繪畫研究和對現實世界的觀察結合起來」（引述藝術家，秦穎撰，〈曾梵志，散步在中國藝術市場〉，《紐約時報》，2016年9月22日，網上資源）。正是由於此，曾梵志的注意力轉移到繪畫風景畫之上，並將具有催眠特質的樹枝意象融入作品中，令掩蓋與揭示的意味並存。

曾梵志的風景畫滿佈線條及光影，而且當中涉及一個獨特的創作過程。曾梵志剛開始創作風景畫系列後不久，因右手受傷而不得不以左手作畫。這對藝術家而言非常困難，他不斷犯錯，但這些錯誤卻讓他找到了獨一無二的藝術視野，更嬴得了來自中國和世界的讚譽。

在創作抽象風景畫時（包括本作），曾梵志都是同時以兩支畫筆作畫。他用一支畫筆在畫面塗繪，隨之用另一支筆抹走顏料，破壞原來的筆觸，如此一來，他創造出極致豐富而充滿質感的畫面，而幽暗深邃的畫面中心則深深地吸引著觀眾的目光。曾梵志在這些作品中採用單一且暗沉的色調，與早期色調明亮鮮艷而飽滿的「面具」系列截然不同。

在本作中，藝術家將敘事融入風景畫——三個出自中國文革樣板戲《紅色娘子軍》的人物在樹枝叢後若隱若現，畫面耐人尋味。這三個分別身穿紅、藍、黃色衣裳的革命現代芭蕾舞者的存在意義匪淺，她們不但體現曾梵志對中國藝術文化的欣賞，也許亦代表著他對中國複雜的近代史的關注。

《無題》以迷宮般的風景纏繞並吸引著觀眾，展示曾梵志獨一無二的藝術語言。本作搏動著節奏感和生命力，精湛地融合了西方抽象主義與東方傳統書法和山水畫的概念。在一片疑幻似真的景象中，幾位中國現代芭蕾舞者的身影赫然可見，可以說是曾梵志對中國文化與藝術的致敬。