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zhang he new paintings

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colour force abstraction representation the new paintings by zhang he elicit many words and reactions all of which interpret the rich imagination and passion of a man rapt in living life zhang he s work first came to my attention at the 2009 florence biennale he exhibited only one painting `red dragon it was richly coloured aggressively painted and lusciously provocative in looking over this new collection of work i can recognise the same energy and mark making style but the imagery has moved into some new and different territory the natural world to which most of the works reference is high impact deriving its power through his bold brush marks and complex colour choices in combination his palettes and techniques grasp our eyes and hearts zhang he s world is a land we want to be part of and a series of strokes and expressions that we want to study and be seduced by we enter his work and want to be overwhelmed there is an endless challenge of wanting these worlds close and analysing how to react in them and to them as humans we always search to recognise something of ourselves in art and the beautifully physical nature of these paintings instantly bonds the viewer to the media the act of painting and the imagery as a colourist zhang he has no boundaries the palettes move from hot to cold explosive to soothing in `spring dream his palette is monochromatic but the touches of bright yellow remind us that when colour arrives it will not be shy his colour defines and is defined by the brush marks employed in an endless variety of broad strokes stabs and slabs monumental and sophisticated `red night is reminiscent of his `red dragon a fire burning beyond the edges of the canvas when working figuratively in pieces like `deux figures ii and `waterfall the marks define the images and stand on their own as abstract elements modern abstraction and the figure has always been an intriguing combination from willem de kooning to cecily brown and now zhang he there is nothing more seductive than the human figure and zhang he allows just enough of that humanity to enter his physical world without detracting from the paint or the palette with contemporary art we always have to question what is the subject of the work the image the object or the physical process depending upon the viewer it can be one two or all when encountering a zhang he painting the initial impact will be enriched by subsequent encounters where the dauntless use of paint opens new realisations of subtlety scale and composition paul lorenz mfa instructor academy of art university san francisco front cover attraction detail opposite page

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attraction oil on canvas 48 x 48 in.

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geisha oil on canvas 60 x 48 in.

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whispers oil on canvas 60 x 48 in.

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traversing oil on canvas 60 x 60 in.

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sans titre vi oil on canvas 60 x 60 in.

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red cherries ii oil on canvas 60 x 60 in.

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sans titre v oil on canvas 48 x 60 in.

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melody oil on canvas 44 x 48 in.

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red night oil on canvas 60 x 48 in.

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natural illusions oil on canvas 48 x 48 in.

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composition iii oil on canvas 48 x 48 in.

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sans titre iv oil on canvas 60 x 60 in.

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women in yellow oil on canvas 36 x 36 in.

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