“This is a visual language. I don't want to rely on more words to explain the pieces. I hope that people can understand what I'm trying to express simply by looking at my work.” Zeng Fanzhi, 2012
Zeng Fanzhi’s work Untitled (Landscape) exhibits the qualities of 20th century German Expressionism and Song Dynasty landscape painting, two periods that profoundly influence the artist’s work. German Expressionism is known for its focus on the personal expression of the artist though use of vibrant color and abstraction, as well as the philosophical examination of man’s place in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape. Similarly, traditional Chinese landscape painting incorporates ideas expressed in Daoism, which meditates on one’s relationship with nature and insignificance within the grand scale of the universe. Fanzhi reflects these ideas in his process of using two brushes simultaneously, allowing him to trace and weave his subconscious into his paintings. Through his use of both hands, he is able to act as creator and destroyer, creating with his dominate hand while erasing with the subordinate one, resulting in landscapes that are nearly abstract, conveying a sense of heightened emotion and spontaneity.