LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil on canvas

Measurements:

14.57 in. (37.00 cm.) (height) by 10.63 in. (27.00 cm.) (width) by 3.54 in. (9.00 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Signed in English and dated on bottom left（A); Signed in English and dated on bottom right（B); Signed in English and dated on bottom right（C); Signed in English on bottom right（D); Signed in English on bottom right（E); Signed in English and dated on bottom right（F); Signed in English and dated on bottom left（G); Signed in English and dated on bottom right（H); Signed in English and dated on bottom right（I）

Exhibited:

EXHIBITED：20 Jun – 12 Jul 1997，8+8-1：Selected Paintings by 15 Contemporary Artists，Schoeni Art Gallery，Hong Kong1998，8+8-1：Selected Paintings by 15 Contemporary Artists，Connaught Brown Gallery，LondonThis work is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Schoeni Art Gallery，Hong KongEnchanting Smiles by Zhang BinZhang Bin was born in 1966 in Sichuan Province.He developed and matured his art skills through his studies in the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute system.Early on，he enrolled in the affiliated high school of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.After graduating from the Printmaking Department in 1989，he was invited by the school to stay and teach due to his outstanding performance while a student there.As a teacher，he focused on comic books and figurative painting.In 1993，he participated in the Annual Exhibition of Chinese Oil Painting in 1993，and in 1995 he partnered for the first time with the Schoeni Art Gallery to showcase the “Sichuan New Art Exhibition.” In 2001，his works were brought into the international spotlight after he participated in the “Chongqing Chilis - Contemporary Art Exhibition of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute” held at the Kassel Kulturbahnhof in Germany.In recent years，his works have been exhibited at Chongqing’s Himalaya Art Space.This auction features works from Zhang Bin’s 1996 Dan – Opera Female Character series.This set of works depict delicate traditional opera characters with rich expressions on their faces.In traditional Peking Opera，the female Dan is able to indicate different sentiments through just one expression in her eyes or a simple gesture.This concept was particularly meaningful to the artist and had a strong influence on his work.Zhang Bin once point out that “The world of Peking Opera is really a strange one.It can dress up a man as a woman，and can also dress up a woman as a man，both easily changing the tones of their voices to fit the character… I think that in life，the body of a man also contains a feminine side and the body of a woman also contains a masculine side，both of which are keep changing and adjusting.I am particularly hooked on the beautiful make-up designs of characters in the operas；a movement of the lips，a lifted eye，all of these simple expressions reveal an air so elegant，yet also high and mighty...China is a country with profound traditional culture，some aspects of which do not need to be combined with ‘modernization’ and do not need to pursue so-called ‘innovation；’ it is more than enough to keep them ‘authentic.’” Zhang deliberately uses a minimal amount of color in this series so that the viewer is not overtaken by bright colors，instead able to focus on the emotions conveyed in the faces of the characters.His artwork also reveals his fascination and respect for traditional culture.

Literature:

LITERATURE：1997，8+8-1：Selected Paintings by 15 Contemporary Artists，Schoeni Art Gallery，Hong Kong，p.80-82