Серия "Маски" 

Zeng Fanzhi’s painting is one of his ‘Masks’ series. They represent a broad cultural shift that occurred in China after the Cultural Revolution. It shows a figure in a suit with a blank mask-like face, holding a toy airplane. Notice how the subject's Western business suit clashes with the red pioneer scarf, a symbol of Chinese communism. The juxtaposition of these visual codes speaks to a China caught between the economic liberalization and the political ideology. The toy airplane can be seen as a symbol of aspiration, but also as a reference to the growing military power of China. Zeng Fanzhi's education at the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, with its roots in socialist realism, is important for understanding his visual language. In the 1990s, as China engaged in economic reforms, artists like Zeng began to question the social impact of these changes. For further exploration, look into the history of Chinese art academies and political movements. Art can be a lens through which to understand the complex interplay between individual experience and broader social transformation.