Artwork Description

Title:11.5309

Artist:Zhirou Chen

Date:2011

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions:17.3 x 15 in (44 x 38 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
11.5309 Untitled is an oil painting by Zhirou Chen, measuring 17.3 x 15 inches (44 x 38 cm). Executed in a semi-abstract to abstract style, the work features vigorous brushwork and a palette dominated by moody grays, blues, and earth tones, interspersed with lighter highlights. The layered surface creates a strong sense of atmospheric depth, hinting at a landscape or natural phenomenon while remaining non-representational.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
The work bears affinities with Impressionistic abstraction and shares a kinship with Abstract Expressionism through its gestural energy and emotional immediacy. Its chromatic choices and fluidity of form suggest parallels to the works of artists like Zao Wou-Ki, who blended Chinese sensibilities with modern Western abstraction, emphasizing rhythm, space, and movement.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2011, this work reflects a mature phase in Zhirou Chen’s practice, where abstraction becomes a means to convey both natural dynamism and inner contemplation. The early 2010s marked a continued evolution in Chinese contemporary art, with increasing emphasis on hybrid aesthetics and individualized expression. Chen’s interpretation of landscape through abstraction resonates with this broader discourse.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
For detailed provenance and authentication, please contact the gallery. Certificates of authenticity are available upon request.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in excellent condition, with no visible paint loss, craquelure, or prior restoration. The support remains structurally sound. Standard preventive measures, such as stable humidity and avoidance of direct sunlight, are advised for long-term preservation.

6. Artistic Significance
11.5309 Untitled occupies a critical space within Chen’s oeuvre, embodying his quest to merge natural impressions with abstract gesture. Its layered tones and dynamic brushstrokes evoke elemental forces—wind, rain, or mist—transforming fleeting atmospheric experiences into timeless visual poetry. The work demonstrates Chen’s significant contribution to contemporary Chinese abstraction, positioning him within an international dialogue of modernist reinterpretation.