Artwork Description

Title:Strumming Series Seven
Artist: Yingchun Zheng
Date: 2014
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 39.37 × 31.5 in (100 × 80 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Strumming Series Seven is a dynamic oil painting by Yingchun Zheng, measuring 100 × 80 cm. The work depicts a solitary figure strumming a guitar amid a turbulent, wind-swept environment. Surrounding the central figure, elongated stalks and sweeping organic forms suggest tall grasses or reeds bending in a forceful current of air, creating a visceral sense of movement and energy.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Executed with expressive, gestural brushwork and a high-contrast palette, the painting reveals influences of Expressionism and lyrical figuration. The energetic strokes that animate the background evoke a storm’s vitality, while the figure—grounded yet vulnerable—becomes a symbol of artistic resilience. Zheng’s stylistic approach recalls elements of early 20th-century German Expressionism and contemporary narrative realism, emphasizing the emotive rather than the literal.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2014, the piece aligns with a period in Chinese contemporary art when figurative painting began incorporating symbolic narratives that reflect the complexity of identity and perseverance. The juxtaposition of music-making with an untamed natural force can be read as a commentary on the role of art as solace and resistance within unstable cultural or personal landscapes.

4. Provenance and Authenticity
For provenance details and a certificate of authenticity, please contact the gallery directly.

5. Condition and Conservation
The work is in excellent condition. No evidence of paint loss, abrasion, or prior restoration is observed. Surface texture and tonal layering are consistent with the artist’s original intent.

6. Artistic Significance
Strumming Series Seven exemplifies Yingchun Zheng’s distinctive synthesis of human vulnerability and environmental dynamism, presenting a visual metaphor for endurance through creative expression. Its emotional immediacy and formal sophistication make it a compelling acquisition for collectors interested in narrative-driven contemporary painting.