Artwork Description

Title: The Years of Burning Passion
Artist: Junming Zhang
Date: 2016
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 51.2 x 70.9 in. (130 x 180 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Junming Zhang’s The Years of Burning Passion is a monumental oil painting that captures the raw intensity and atmospheric drama of an industrial interior in full operation. The scene is dominated by a glowing central crucible, exuding fire and smoke, surrounded by coal-blackened ground and heavy machinery. A solitary human silhouette stands at the far right in the wash of blinding light, underscoring the emotional and physical weight of labor in such spaces. The artist’s mastery of chiaroscuro and atmospheric depth is fully evident in the glowing embers and ash-laden textures that fill the composition.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
This powerful composition is firmly rooted in realist traditions, yet it departs from classical realism by emphasizing mood and environmental texture over idealized form. Zhang’s visual language is influenced by the socialist realist style of mid-20th-century Chinese painting, with added elements of European industrial romanticism, akin to the works of J.M.W. Turner or the later Ashcan School. Through thick impasto and expressive handling of fire and shadow, Zhang merges documentarian fidelity with painterly drama, capturing both the harsh materiality and poetic intensity of factory life.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2016, The Years of Burning Passion reflects on the legacy of China’s industrialization—particularly the heavy labor and sacrifice demanded during the nation’s mid-to-late 20th century rise. Zhang, born in 1966, belongs to a generation shaped by post-Cultural Revolution reconstruction, and his work pays homage to the fervor and hardship of the industrial era. The Title: alludes not only to physical fire but to a symbolic “burning passion” that defined the human spirit amidst harsh, transformative historical periods.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The canvas remains structurally sound and taut. The paint surface shows no signs of cracking, flaking, or discoloration. The textured impasto and layered areas of light are well-preserved and stable. No recent restoration has been noted.

6. Artistic Significance
Zhang Junming’s The Years of Burning Passion is a visually and historically potent meditation on labor, transformation, and national identity. It is emblematic of Zhang’s broader commitment to socially conscious realism and his ability to merge physical detail with emotive symbolism. As both a record of a disappearing industrial epoch and a tribute to human endurance, the painting resonates with contemporary collectors interested in socio-historical narrative and painterly gravitas.