Peonies
Wu Zuoren
1950
- YEAR:1950
- MEDIUM:Oil on board
- DIMENSIONS:49 x 38.5 cm
Introduction
Wu Zuoren was a significant founding figure in modern Chinese art education. He studied in Europe at a young age and was deeply influenced by European realism. In the 1940s, he made two sketching trips to Gansu, Tibet and other provinces in China. The grandeur of the Dunhuang murals and the purified simplicity of the snow-covered landscapes prompted a profound transformation in his oil paintings—colours became brighter, brushstrokes were more concise, and his work began to reflect the national charm infused with Chinese aesthetics. In Peonies, he depicts the graceful posture of the flowers with naturally loose brushstrokes. The deep red, light pink, and white peonies, set against a dark brown background and a blue-green vase, radiate a bright and mellow light. The peonies are defined by their refined forms and a vital rhythm, showing both the delicate layering of Western oil painting and the vivid expressive realm of the Chinese Xieyi(freehand) style.
