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Lot Essay
The direction of Zhang Enli's artistic output dramatically changed after 2002. His subject matter shifted from the everyday activities of humans to quotidian objects; his studio along with its surrounding scenery became an area in which the artist could manipulate time and space. These inanimate objects carry the spiritual weight Zhang has imbued them with; as vehicles for his sentiments they depict the "hidden elements of the abnormal".
Trees are an important subject matter in Zhang Enli recent work. In Tree in Winter 2 (Lot 113), the artist employs a minimalist and lyrical treatment. Adopting a perspective positioned from below looking upwards, this composition emphasises the gangly but defiant tree braving the winter cold. The artist consciously decides to paint with the ink wash technique of traditional Chinese ink painting. The swift brush work delineates the main tree truck with translucent colours, and the fine branches are briskly articulated with decisive execution. Backed by the winter sky, these twisted black branches express the aesthetics of abstraction. The composition exudes a lonesome air, as if the tree were a hermit, living in a densely populated city, but psychologically alienated.
The theme of trees is based on objects that are in the artist's immediate living environment. They are ordinary and mundane; yet, when the artist inserts them into his painting, it prompts an intense sense of recognition as well as uncanniness. Zhang Enli captured the essence of these objects with his seasoned pencil sketching technique in which small drawings are subsequently enlarged onto a canvas with a grid. The artist purposely leaves traces of the grid on the canvas. These remnants of the guiding lines instil a sense of order on the picture plane. The grid supplements, while simultaneously subverts the original lyrical depiction as these regulating lines denote the practical nature of the sketch. The obscured visual experience of the grid activates the multitude of layers in this painting. Through the artist's isolation and deconstruction, viewers can experience how an ordinary object is brought into the spiritual realm. It transcends the bondage o f n a r rat i v e and objective modelling, creating a contradictory sense of familiarity and strangeness. Using axonometric projection, this composition conveys a genuine and idiomatic sense of the drawing discipline. The criss-crossing branches not only serve as a naturalistic depiction, but also undermine the representational details of the physical object. As a result, the whole picture is immersed in a sombre and tranquil air. The stark branches standing naked against the blue sky leaves the painting filled with the awe-inspiring chill of winter.
Trees are an important subject matter in Zhang Enli recent work. In Tree in Winter 2 (Lot 113), the artist employs a minimalist and lyrical treatment. Adopting a perspective positioned from below looking upwards, this composition emphasises the gangly but defiant tree braving the winter cold. The artist consciously decides to paint with the ink wash technique of traditional Chinese ink painting. The swift brush work delineates the main tree truck with translucent colours, and the fine branches are briskly articulated with decisive execution. Backed by the winter sky, these twisted black branches express the aesthetics of abstraction. The composition exudes a lonesome air, as if the tree were a hermit, living in a densely populated city, but psychologically alienated.
The theme of trees is based on objects that are in the artist's immediate living environment. They are ordinary and mundane; yet, when the artist inserts them into his painting, it prompts an intense sense of recognition as well as uncanniness. Zhang Enli captured the essence of these objects with his seasoned pencil sketching technique in which small drawings are subsequently enlarged onto a canvas with a grid. The artist purposely leaves traces of the grid on the canvas. These remnants of the guiding lines instil a sense of order on the picture plane. The grid supplements, while simultaneously subverts the original lyrical depiction as these regulating lines denote the practical nature of the sketch. The obscured visual experience of the grid activates the multitude of layers in this painting. Through the artist's isolation and deconstruction, viewers can experience how an ordinary object is brought into the spiritual realm. It transcends the bondage o f n a r rat i v e and objective modelling, creating a contradictory sense of familiarity and strangeness. Using axonometric projection, this composition conveys a genuine and idiomatic sense of the drawing discipline. The criss-crossing branches not only serve as a naturalistic depiction, but also undermine the representational details of the physical object. As a result, the whole picture is immersed in a sombre and tranquil air. The stark branches standing naked against the blue sky leaves the painting filled with the awe-inspiring chill of winter.