The works of Zhang Enli often take simple everyday objects and repeatedly present them in different compositions, emphasising the infinite possibilities of the language of painting. He once revealed, ‘I am fascinated by the non-normative elements hidden in ordinary objects’. In Balls, a classic still life work by Zhang Enli, each ball is constructed with strong colours and varied touches. The unique shape of each ball results from different degrees of saturation, the balls are positioned into a set of base pillars. The artist is not painting the object, but rather expressing his individualised and meticulous shaping of them, creating the possibility for us to see a more complex and multi-layered world. Through his brushstrokes, lines and shapes are transformed into each other, objects and space penetrate each other, thus giving objects a concrete sense of texture and weight. A paradoxical reflection on the surrounding environment is expressed in works of Zhang Enli: by depriving these contexts of any interpretative nature, the artist attempts to establish a new definition of things.
Provenance
ShanghART Gallery, Shanghai Acquired from the above by the present owner
2011 signed and dated '2011 Enli [in Chinese]' lower left; further signed, titled and dated '"Balls" 2011 Zhang Enli [in Chinese]' on the reverse oil on canvas 240 x 100 cm. (94 1/2 x 39 3/8 in.) Painted in 2011.