Yan Gallery, in conjunction with Gallery by the Harbour, presents its forthcoming exhibition entitled “Paintings by Zeng Jianyong”, an exhibition of ink and colour paintings by this highly acclaimed Chinese artist.

This collection of just over twenty works is almost entirely figurative. Zeng paints portraits of children and adults in a caricaturistic style; the most outstanding feature of the portraits are the eyes, which are oversized and staring, but which immediately lock you into the painting and draw you inside the characters’ world. Like a child’s wide-eyed, innocent view of life, Zeng captures the fragility and sweetness of youth and presents it to us with great technical skill, but also with a lot of sensitivity and emotion.

Zeng’s art has its roots in traditional Chinese ink painting, and his classical training is clearly evident in the poise and sophistication of his brushwork. However the execution and presentation of his work is uniquely his own. Zeng uses specially created rice paper to paint on; first he takes one sheet and pastes it onto a board. He then takes a second sheet and paints his image onto it. When this is dry he turns it over and lays it on top of the first sheet, with the image facing down. Thus, the image we see is muted and soft with a translucent quality to it. Zeng then adds another layer of ink to the surface, thereby highlighting certain aspects of the image, or leaving areas blank, he creates a harmonious balance of colour and softness, which creates wonderfully complex and beguiling works.

Zeng Jianyong was born in 1971 in Chenghai, Guangdong Province. He is a graduate of the Chinese Painting Department of Huaqiao University as well as a graduate of the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Art. He currently works as a professional artist in Beijing and Shenzen. He has held many exhibitions in China as well as in the US.

-Yan Gallery

Image: © Zeng Jianyong