Zhao Mengge

Sunner II, 2023
Oil on canvas
30 × 40 cm

In Summer II, Zhao Mengge expands the narrative of the Summer series through a more structured, almost architectural composition. Fragmented spatial planes divide the canvas, creating framed moments within the scene, each containing reclining female figures rendered through fluid, calligraphic contour.

Drawing from the visual heritage of ancient Chinese murals, Zhao employs flattened space and rhythmic line, yet translates these elements through thick impasto and assertive brushwork. The sculptural application of oil reinforces the tactile presence of the surface, allowing the painting to oscillate between image and relief.

The bold cobalt diagonals introduce a contemporary interruption, dynamic, almost abstract forms that contrast with the organic softness of the figures and surrounding foliage. This interplay between structure and fluidity generates visual tension, suggesting both enclosure and intimacy.

Rather than depicting a literal summer landscape, Zhao constructs a symbolic environment where femininity, memory, and cultural continuity unfold across layered time. The figures exist within framed spaces yet remain connected, uggesting collective experience, shared stillness, and subtle autonomy.

Through this balance of tradition and painterly immediacy, Summer II becomes a meditation on space, presence, and the evolving language of figurative expression.