Through a dynamic language of abstraction, Zhang’s oil paintings convey a visceral engagement with the surrounding natural environment while evoking the depth of human emotions. With a calligraphic execution, his bold and gestural brushstrokes demonstrate a unique physicality and spontaneity, which resonate with early influences of Abstract Expressionism and the Automatistes Movement. The luscious colors and rich textures dictate each composition by accentuating its inherent physicality, and in doing so, add a sculptural quality to the painting.
While the expressiveness of his painterly strokes make a definitive statement of their own, Zhang is not solely interested in creating the allure of texture; rather, it is part of his integral painting process to achieve an overarching state of equilibrium on canvas: between positive and negative spaces, the thick and thin, and contrasting color tones. In fact, the very act of breaking existing patterns requires great instinctive judgment and continually challenges the artist, in order to achieve a harmonious formulation of movement and thought. As such, Zhang engages in the ongoing dialogue to reinvent abstract painting by seeking to evoke a fundamental state of existence through an intimate encounter with nature, the cycle of life, and the plethora of human emotions.
