Artist Zeng Fanzhi bares his artistic soul

[Photo provided to China Daily]

In the painting, Zeng is seen in a red Buddhist robe sitting on a stool, barefoot, echoing the work of a pair of boots at the entrance of the exhibition.

"That's not a cigarette in my hands－it's a pen, with a line winding in the air. This self-portrait accurately describes my state of mind at that time, tranquil and detached.

"I think I'm doing well in protecting my territory."

Anyone who has been to his studio will understand why he is not disturbed by the chaos from outside.

Zeng, who uses gardening as a form of meditation, often paints while listening to his favorite classical music－Tchaikovsky or Smetana－in his studio.

Besides oil paintings there's also a dark and mysterious room in the exhibition.

For the first time, Zeng is showing his Paper series－experimental work done since 2009, when he was excited after acquiring a piece of handmade paper.

Zeng, who is fascinated by the texture and grain of the paper, just adds very weak lines with mineral water colors based on what he observes in the texture, and the landscape that exists on the paper.

"The paper does 30 percent of the painting. I paint 30 percent. And the rest is done by each viewer," he says.