The most highly anticipated volume in Assouline’s exclusive Ultimate series, Chinese Art: The Impossible Collection spotlights 100 works of contemporary art that reveal the social, political, and cultural evolution of a nation on the rise. Thoughtfully curated by Cheng and Dodelande, the 100 works are presented in chronological order, beginning with traditional paintings from the turn of the twentieth century and culminating with some of the most cutting-edge works by China’s “new generation” of artists, whose creations explore and often critique the politics that have defined China’s rapid growth into a new world power.
ZHANG Yunyao's Floating II (2020) is featured among the selection.
"ZHANG Yunyao's art is distinctive for its references to European classicism, and for the artist's use of graphite and pastel on felt - a choice of materials that accentuates the drama of his appropriations of the classical body. As a "painting" surface, felt's wool-like texture requires a sensitive touch and much time. Completing the highly chiaroscuro'd figure compositions requires a degree of patience the artist likens to an intense spiritual devotion. Floating II illustrats the artist in full control, and the unusual use of color here is a departure from Yunyao's customary monochrome."
