Artwork Description

Title:1999 Untitled
Artist: Zhirou Chen
Date: 2009
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 21.7 x 17.7 in (55 x 45 cm)

Artwork Identification
Zhirou Chen’s 1999 Untitled is an abstract oil painting executed in 2009, defined by a dynamic interplay of colliding colors that evoke raw emotion rather than structured form. The composition resists narrative clarity, instead favoring an intuitive and gestural application of paint, resulting in a surface charged with energy and immediacy.

Artistic Style and Influences
This work reflects the expressive tendencies of mid-20th-century Abstract Expressionism while integrating Chen’s distinct sensibility for atmospheric depth and chromatic tension. The seemingly uncontrolled layering of pigments suggests a deliberate embrace of chance and spontaneity, echoing philosophical underpinnings of emotion-driven abstraction.

Historical Context
Created during a period when Chinese contemporary art increasingly engaged with global abstraction, this painting exemplifies an inward-looking approach that privileges psychological states over external references. By titling the piece 1999 Untitled, Chen alludes to temporal dissonance—a reference to an earlier moment, perhaps symbolic of transition or memory.

Provenance and Authenticity
Please contact the gallery directly for full provenance details and certificates of authenticity.

Condition and Conservation
The painting remains in excellent condition, with a stable surface and no visible evidence of deterioration. The pigments exhibit good chromatic stability, and no prior conservation treatments are recorded. Professional care and standard gallery conditions are recommended for continued preservation.

Artistic Significance
1999 Untitled stands as a compelling example of Chen’s pursuit of abstraction as an emotional language. Its gestural energy and chromatic complexity make it a significant acquisition for collectors attuned to the expressive power of non-representational painting within the broader trajectory of contemporary Chinese art.