Zeng Fanzhi

ShanghArt Gallery, Shanghai
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2003

This painting is in very good condition. Under UV light, there are no apparent restorations other than studio work outlining the design. There is a soft dent in the left quadrant, located 14 5/8 to 15 1/8" up from the bottom edge and ¾ to 1 1/8" in from the left. There are incipient ground cracks, some very faint, in the upper left corner and some more noticeable: 1) in the lower right located 9 1/2 " up from the bottom and 7 1/2 " in from the right and 10 ½" up and 7" from the right; 2) lower right edge 7 ¼ to 9" up from the bottom edge and ¾ to 1 ½" in from the right edge. There is a fine hairline stable crack parallel to the left edge, running intermittently from 27 ½ to 30" from the bottom and 7/8" in from the left edge. There are a very few light intermittent rubs and scuffs. The canvas is framed in a blonde wood strip frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Zeng Fanzhi is recognized as one of the foremost Contemporary Chinese painters of the post-1989 generation. In 1994, Zeng began his Mask series, in which people's faces are hidden behind the open gaze and wide grins of a mask. The main purpose of the façade is to conceal feeling, and it is hard not to read the artificiality of the covered faces as an allegory of cynical politeness in a society experiencing constant transformation. Mask Series 99 A-2 from 1999 is a classic example of Zeng's genuine ability to render allegorical imagery, whose content most often is intuited from symbolic forms. In this particular painting we see two men, dressed in identical suits, each raising a glass of red wine toward the viewer. The masks they wear are identical, so there is a loss of individuality; the only distinct difference between them concerns their clothing, since the figure on the left wears a formal shirt and tie, while the figure on the right is dressed in a blue crew shirt.

 

The two men are giving a toast against a soft pink and red background that offers no clue of the locale they inhabit. As a result they appear to be toasting the artist's audience, who are made to feel as if they are participating in a public function. In Contemporary art, alienation and identity remain contested issues, but here we have a socially oriented, more or less identical pair. The supposed vitality of their pose and fleshy oversized hands, made neutral by the presence of the masks, speaks volumes regarding the roles the Chinese are made to play in contemporary society. As a result, we hardly trust them as active agents following their own desires; instead, we read the two men as succumbing to a position that only adds to social confusion. In this painting of figures whose facile enjoyment is literally masked, it seems most likely that they are hiding their darker view of the world.

 

--Jonathan Goodman