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Lot Essay
From his early Hospital and Meat Series to his later Mask Series, Zeng Fanzhi’s work provides strong insights into the human existential condition. Locating the subject in an ethereal space in A Smoking Man (Lot 137), the male figure is meticulously dressed in crisp white shirt, bright red blazer and black trousers, paired with engorged hands holding a burning cigarette, against a barren background. Portrayed with a mysterious aura, the man imbues viewers with a feeling of suspense and a hint of melancholy, as his eyes shuns any direct gaze with aloofness.
Throughout different periods, the sartorial choices of his subjects have documented Zeng Fanzhi's personal chronicle of the conversion from socialist symbols to the savours of a capitalist society. The Red scarf was a recurrent motif in his earlier works, symbolising belief in collectivism; while the western suit often appeared in his later works, underlining individualism. Here, he paints the concomitant shift from the imposition of Maoist philosophy of the social system to a capitalist, liberalised economy. The protagonist represents China's emerging middle class echelon of society, one penetrated by Western traditions and values. It invokes national turmoil that have consistently driven the artist’s quest of the human condition, filtered through his own conflicted upbringing amidst the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Throughout different periods, the sartorial choices of his subjects have documented Zeng Fanzhi's personal chronicle of the conversion from socialist symbols to the savours of a capitalist society. The Red scarf was a recurrent motif in his earlier works, symbolising belief in collectivism; while the western suit often appeared in his later works, underlining individualism. Here, he paints the concomitant shift from the imposition of Maoist philosophy of the social system to a capitalist, liberalised economy. The protagonist represents China's emerging middle class echelon of society, one penetrated by Western traditions and values. It invokes national turmoil that have consistently driven the artist’s quest of the human condition, filtered through his own conflicted upbringing amidst the Chinese Cultural Revolution.