Artwork Description

Title: Sou-shen Ji 1 – Pan Silk Cave
Artist: Peng Jianzhong
Date: 2009
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 78.7 × 118.1 in (200 × 300 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
This monumental oil on canvas diptych by Peng Jianzhong, Sou-shen Ji 1 – Pan Silk Cave, presents a haunting and enigmatic composition. Dominated by cavernous rock formations and subdued tones, the central figure of a young boy stands isolated amid jagged stone and reflective waters. The work's immersive scale and cinematic framing evoke both a dreamscape and a psychological terrain, inviting viewers into a liminal space between myth and memory.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Jianzhong’s artistic language fuses Realism with Symbolism, distinguished by a refined chiaroscuro technique and a palette of ashen greens, greys, and deep blacks. His visual world recalls the introspective solitude of Caspar David Friedrich’s Romantic landscapes while incorporating distinctly East Asian sensibilities—particularly in the nuanced rendering of rock and water, elements central to Chinese literati painting traditions. The spectral stillness and surreal spatial distortions suggest a lineage from artists like Zdzisław Beksiński or even the post-1980s Chinese Cynical Realists, though Jianzhong’s vision is ultimately more meditative than satirical.

3. Historical Context
Painted in 2009, Sou-shen Ji 1 – Pan Silk Cave emerged during a fertile period for Chinese contemporary painting, as artists turned inward to examine identity, mythology, and psychological fragmentation in post-reform China. The Title: references Sou-shen Ji, a 4th-century Chinese text of supernatural tales and strange occurrences, situating the work within a lineage of historical folklore. Jianzhong’s cave becomes a site of introspection and cultural memory—its name evoking both physical concealment and metaphysical passage.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The canvas remains taut and structurally stable, with no visible abrasions, flaking, or discoloration. The surface retains a healthy, even varnish, and no signs of restoration or prior conservation are noted.

6. Artistic Significance
Sou-shen Ji 1 – Pan Silk Cave exemplifies Peng Jianzhong’s deeply contemplative oeuvre, rooted in psychological realism and mythopoetic resonance. The juxtaposition of a lone child figure against monumental geological formations underscores themes of vulnerability, existential passage, and the immensity of nature and history. The painting’s scholarly and atmospheric density makes it a compelling acquisition for collectors interested in the intersection of Chinese traditional narratives and postmodern visual lexicons. It stands as a cornerstone within Jianzhong’s career and a poignant reflection of China's evolving contemporary art scene.