Artwork Description

Title: Facial Expression 1999 No. 24
Artist: Zhao Nengzhi
Date: 1999
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 43.4 x 49.2 in (110 × 125 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Facial Expression 1999 No. 24 is a hauntingly blurred monochromatic portrait by Zhao Nengzhi, a pivotal figure in post-1990s Chinese painting. Rendered in soft greyscale oil on canvas, the work offers an extreme close-up of a human face — indistinct, vaporous, almost dissolving into its own texture. The lack of sharp contours and the heavy atmospheric haze emphasize not the individual identity of the subject, but the emotional residue embedded in expression itself. The face feels suspended in time, caught in a moment of psychological intensity.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Zhao Nengzhi’s work resists alignment with mainstream trends in Chinese contemporary art, particularly the politicized visual tropes often marketed for Western consumption. Instead, he engages deeply with existentialism and the subconscious. His expressionist and almost surrealist approach has affinities with the visual language of Francis Bacon and the philosophical tension of Samuel Beckett’s theatre. The painting evokes a cinematic still filtered through fog or memory, questioning the reliability of perception and identity.

3. Historical Context
Created at the turn of the millennium, this work is part of Zhao’s formative “Facial Expressions” series. At a time when many Chinese artists were negotiating identity in the global art economy through overt cultural or political iconography, Zhao looked inward, exploring psychological depth and human fragility. His portraits from this period challenged the viewer to confront emotional ambiguity and inner dissonance—reflecting the disquiet of a rapidly transforming society.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The canvas shows no signs of warping or deterioration. The delicate tonal transitions are intact, with the pigment layers evenly preserved and surface texture consistent with the artist’s intended finish.

6. Artistic Significance
This painting encapsulates Zhao’s artistic vision: a meditation on the void between appearance and essence, action and stillness. Rather than providing clarity, Facial Expression 1999 No. 24 invites doubt, asking viewers to consider not who the subject is, but what emotional terrain the face inhabits. The work stands as a powerful statement of psychological abstraction and remains highly relevant in today’s climate of hyper-visibility and surface representation.