Straddling the figurative and the abstract, the real and the imaginary, as well as the singular and the ordinary, The Tuck Net (2) is a quintessential exemplar from Zhang Enli's oeuvre. Created in 2013, the piece features Zhang’s iconic wire netting motif, which encapsulates the artist’s modus operandi of depicting banal objects or scenes in a realistic yet sublimely poetic manner. Zhang was born in Jilin in 1965 and graduated from the Arts & Design Institute at Wuxi Technical University. Unlike fellow Chinese artists born in the 1960s, Zhang eschewed political ideology or satire. Instead, Zhang focused on everyday people, objects and spaces; as art critic Gu Zheng wrote: “At a t.mes when it [was] fashionable in the Chinese art world to ascribe too much external meaning to works of art, [Zhang’s] paintings, and every single stroke within them, flatly refuse to give you a straightforward stat.mes nt or declaration. He wants his audience to recall and reflect with him the essence of painting, and with his colours and his lines help the audience slowly explore the trivial matters of this world, which he depicts in such a simple yet sublime way”. Over t.mes , Zhang’s artistic individuality was recognized internationally, beginning with his presence at Art Basel in 2006, followed by his first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in 2007, and an exhibition at Kunsthalle Bern in 2008 – the same year the present lot was created. Today, Zhang’s works are collects ed by the likes of Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.[CM1]

Zhang’s earlier works in the 1990s are rendered in an expressionistic, almost visceral style. Inspired by his initial impression of Shanghai, such paintings depict crowded bar scenes, dancing couples and smoking strangers, and are marked by a mostly red and black colour palette, thick heavy layers, and energetic brushwork reminiscent of German Expressionism. Beginning in 2000, however, Zhang began to experiment with a series of still-life paintings that were drastically different in both style and motif. In terms of subject, Zhang painted packing boxes, ashtrays, sinks, buckets, and other empty containers set against nondescript settings. In terms of style, Zhang used diluted pigments and thinly applied paint washes that almost resemble watercolour or Chinese ink. Rather than confronting viewers the turbulent complexity of a psychological portrait, these quiet yet evocative works, epitomized by his celebrated series of buckets, explore the trivial objects of this world, focusing on the essence of sense and experience through our relationship with the mundane and inanimate, uncovering the subtle beauty of the everyday[CM2] . In the words of Tony Godfrey, Zhang Enli’s work is defined by “scale, everyday objects, everyday places, empty space, and the way paint is touched on to the canvas” (Tony Godfrey, in Exh. Cat. Hong Kong, K11 Art Foundation, Space Painting by Zhang Enli, 2014, p. 98).

In the late 2000s, Zhang formulated his now iconic motif of iron nets. Manifested in all-over compositions, Zhang’s wire nettings often occupy the entire picture plane, appearing in diverse forms such as window screens, embroidery, and metal nets, amongst others. The sky visible through the holes and spaces are reminiscent of the liubai effect in traditional ink painting; while in the present work, the whimsical colors of the netting imbues the composition with a dynamic divergence from reality. Executed in 2013, when Zhang had achieved international recognition, the present work encapsulates the epit.mes of the artist’s career-long investigations of space and human perception. Executed in a loose and utterly unassuming manner, the tableau is peaceful and poetic with a hint of whimsical eccentricity. The artist himself once said: “This world is artificial but when you look at it, it will definitely touch your heart”.

《網兒（二）》跨越了具象與抽象、真實與虛構、獨特與平凡的分野，是張恩利創作生涯裡的傑作。這幅2013年的作品呈現張氏的經典主題圖案——鐵絲網，這圖案體現其寫實而不失詩意地描繪日常物件或場景的創作風格。張恩利在1956年出生於吉林省，畢業於無錫輕工業大學藝術學院；與同在六十年代出生的中國藝術家不同，他不熱衷在創作中融入政治意識形態或譏言諷語，始終專注於普通群眾、日常物件和空間。正如藝評家顧錚在藝術家2010年個展上的文章中表示：「當現今中國藝術界流行賦予作品過多外在意義的時候，（他的）作品、以及作品中的每一筆，都斷然拒絕讓人從中讀出直白的聲明或宣言。他要觀眾跟著他一起回顧、並思考繪畫的本質，讓觀眾跟隨他的色彩與線條，慢慢探索畫中質樸而華麗的現實世界日常瑣碎」。隨時日過去，張氏的獨特創作個性國際藝壇上漸受認可；2006年，他的作品首次於巴塞爾藝術展上展出；2007年，倫敦豪瑟沃斯畫廊為他舉行首場個展，翌年再展於伯恩美術館出展，即本作的面世之年。時至今日，張恩利的作品已獲倫敦泰特美術館和巴黎龐比度藝術中心等知名機構收藏。

九十年代的張氏作品呈表現主義，風格粗獷，幾近直抒胸臆。這類作品的靈感源自他對上海的最初印象，以紅色和黑色為主調，藉德國表現主義色彩的狂野筆觸及層層堆疊的構圖手法，描繪擁擠的酒吧、熱舞中的情侶與吸煙的陌生人。自2000年開始，張恩利開始嘗試創作一系列靜物繪畫，風格和內容主題與早前截然不同。在主題方面，他繪畫包裝盒﹑煙灰缸、洗手盆﹑水桶等其空無一物的容器，背景設置模糊，無以名狀。在風格方面，他仿效水彩畫或中國水墨畫法，將稀釋的顏料薄塗在畫布上。他的作品並無咄咄迫人的複雜心理暗示，純粹探索人類與日常物件的關係，讓觀眾在靜謐的景象中默然思考，專注於感官和體驗的神髓，發現日常生活的樸素之美。正如托尼·戈弗雷（Tony Godfrey）所言，張恩利的創作特色包括「尺幅、平凡物件、日常景象、無人空間，以及獨特的上顏料方法」（托尼·戈弗雷，引述自展覽圖錄《張恩利：空間繪畫》，香港，K11藝術基金，2014年，頁98）。

鐵絲網圖案是張恩利在2000年代後期的構思，如今已成為他的經典主題圖案。這些絲網圖案通常佔據整幅畫面，而且以不一的形態出現，例如紗窗、刺繡、金屬網等。透過鐵絲網的孔洞與空隙，觀者可以瞥見天空一隅，令人聯想起傳統水墨畫的「留白」效果。本作的網狀結構色彩豐富玄妙，在漸移的變化中將畫面與現實世界區隔開來。本作繪於2013年，當時張恩利剛在國際上闖出名堂。本作濃縮張氏一生對空間與人類感知的探索成果，畫風輕快低調，漫溢寧靜而詩意的氛圍，卻又透出一絲怪誕奇異的氣息；藝術家曾言：「這個世界是非自然、不實的，但只要你仔細欣賞，一定會深受觸動」。