Zhang Feng, b. 1965 LAST SONG inscribed with the signature, dated 2000 and stamped with the found

Zhang Feng, b. 1965 LAST SONG inscribed with the signature, dated 2000 and stamped with the foundry mark bronze height: 79cm.; 31.125in. Executed in 2000 and prodcued in various formats. Although it stands 80 centimetres tall and is cast in solid bronze there is undeniably something maquette-like about Zhang Fengs Last Song. This is not in the sense that a maquette is an unfinished sketch, a mere stage towards the ultimate execution of a sculpture. Rather it is because this key work so exquisitely demonstrates Zhangs sculptures as propositions, ideas he puts forward to encourage the viewer to partake in the very process of creation. Last Song is delicately poised between sculptures two age old traditional counterpoints. On one hand the building up and adding together, as the artist moulds a sculpture out of clay, versus the meticulous performance of subtracting when a sculpture is carefully chiselled out of a block of marble. This human figure exudes vibrancy and motion, yet stands firmly and centrally with two feet on the ground. The voluminous, block like elements of the characters head and torso are reminiscent of the Cubists endeavours to suggest an objects multiple viewpoints. Its slender arms and legs echo Giacomettis dialogue with archetypical form and pre-historic figurines. Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner