Grapplers -- Wei Hai and Zhaoman Zeng
If they are boxers in the ring, they don't match at all. Wei Hai is a tall and meaty from Beijing. Man of the earth, the sea. He is like a big tree trunk on the lawn, it is reliable and shelters the wind and rain. With him by you side, you will immediately feel safe and secure. Zeng Zhaoman is a gentle and slender man with a wallet hat, with an elegant and intellectually poetic voice. But you can see in their eyes a flash of passion and desperate fighting spirit. Indeed, they are all excellent painters who have just come from China. They just came to the United States and do not speak well in English, but they have long been contaminated with the customs of Western culture—freedom, openness, individuality, and hard work. It is still a bit vague to say that they are excellent until you prove. Every painter always says that he is the best.
Oil on canvas Zhaoman
When painting, they are like hungry lion and tiger in the ring. Indeed, they are all good painters carried the lineage of new Chinese-American painting. One of them cares about the survival of animals in its territory. His painting melts the power, posture, color and speed that nature has given to animals. It also turned the vicious competition of humans into animal forms, and painted brutally and imposingly. The other is more straightforward. He put his opponents directly on the ring. If you want to fright, you have to earn it! Strong attitude and straight style. Why try to hide it? A painting is something grappled with, brought to ground. The artist prevails, but at a cost.
The roots of their paintings are various: boxers, puppets, animal beasts, Chinese poetry calligraphy and lettering. Wei Hai’s colorful colors have a strong contrast, cursive lines crisscross, large areas of cold and warm color blocks are in strong contrast, overlapping and changing handwriting constitute the core of the story; Zeng Zhaoman’s colors are piled up, handwriting is astringent, and the colors are heavy and reserved. The point is: let the pictures tell the story by themselves. They often don't even have the title of the painting. Don’t talk and just look. During the pandemic last year, they were paying close attention to the outside world, but they had to live a much simpler life indoor, allowing them to settle, to adjust, and to dig deep in their souls. Each one is a kine of longly peak.
Oil on canvas Zhaoman Zeng
Arcylic on board Wei Hai
Watching Wei Hai's paintings is like standing ten feet in front of a tiger and a crocodile. It is your turn to decide: run or kiss. It is intuitive and there is no suspicion.
Arcylic on board Wei Hai
Arcylic on board Wei Hai
And Zeng Zhaoman's paintings seem to be like reading half of the novel without understanding the cause and effect, the structure of the picture is complicated, or after reading a long poem, they are still biting the words, and the aftertaste is endless. He used a sharp palette knife to build up the paint clot, covering the heavy black outline of the subject; sometimes he used the brisk and skillful ink brush strokes to outline a moment in life, and every stroke was full of confidence and passion. Whether it is wet on wet or dry on wet, the black paint is critically dragged into the red, which is both lyrical and combative.
Oil on canvas Wei Hai
Oil on canvas Wei Hai
Oil on canvas Wei Hai
Every artist defines himself; fighting for his lofty self-image. It is a snapshot of authentic pop culture: crude, quick and unique. As in nature, disasters is always close to grandeur. Their paintings are sturdy and durable-they rest on thick wood or steel, which sometimes goes against popular tastes. This is meant by existential painting.