FAN ZENG 范曾 (Nantong, China, b. 1938)

Boy and ox

Ink on paper, unmounted and rolled

Artist's colophon and two red seals

48.3cm high, 68.2cm wide

范曾 牧童

水墨紙本 未裝裱

款識：十翼。

鈐印：「抱沖齋」、「范曾」

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PROVENANCE:

Property of a Lady, UK Private Collection

來源：

女士珍藏，私人英國收藏

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Born in 1938 in Nantong, Jiangsu province, Fan Zeng descends from a long line of artists, with thirteen generations dedicated to making poetry, prose, calligraphy and painting. Fan Zheng is primarily known for his painted depictions of ancient Chinese figures, such as Laozi and Zhong Kui, and these artworks are characterised by their simple lines, vigorous brushstrokes and poetic rendition. The artist offered his own analysis of his artistic practice in a work of calligraphy, describing himself as 'crazy for painting, pretty good at calligraphy; occasionally writing poetry and prose to express feelings, and loves to read about history.'

Fan Zeng eschews the Ming and Qing era aesthetics of traditional figure painting, which places emphasis on fine brushwork and close attention to detail, opting instead to work in the style of the old masters of the Song Dynasty. He specialises in the 'splashed ink' method originally used by landscape painters, in which the artist starts by 'splashing' washes of colour to define mountains and other large landscape elements before adding the finer details in darker ink with quick, calligraphic brushstrokes.

The artist notably went on to live between his home country and France, where he notably painted a portrait of Charles de Gaulle. He held solo exhibitions in Japan throughout the 1980s, and participated in various exhibitions in Asia. Fan Zeng's works are housed in major museum collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Museum of China in Beijing.

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