Seascape at Beidaihe
In 1936 Wu Guanzhong enrolled in the Hangzhou Academy of Art, where he studied Western oil painting under Lin Fengmian (1900–1991). From 1947 to 1950 he was in Paris, immersing himself in the works of Cézanne, Gauguin, and Matisse before returning to China as a lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Wu's modernism conflicted with the views of the academy's director and with the Social Realist style of Soviet models and he was trans-ferred to another post. During the Cultural Revolution he was sent into the countryside for three years and did not paint. Wu began working in Chinese ink on paper only after 1972.
In this work, inspired by Mao Zedong's poem about the summer resort of Beidaihe, Wu translated actual scenery into a composition that verges on abstraction. Except for the boats that dot the horizon and the black silhouettes of protruding rocks, the surface is given over to a mesmerizing depiction of waves. Wu painted out some of his ink lines with opaque white—something a traditional Chinese artist would never do—to prevent linear patterns from predominating over the illusion of light reflected from the water. In contrast to the literati objective of capturing the essence of the natural world through abstract calligraphic brushwork, Wu exploited the tension between abstraction and the vivid evocation of three-dimensional forms to create an intensely personal encounter with nature.
In this work, inspired by Mao Zedong's poem about the summer resort of Beidaihe, Wu translated actual scenery into a composition that verges on abstraction. Except for the boats that dot the horizon and the black silhouettes of protruding rocks, the surface is given over to a mesmerizing depiction of waves. Wu painted out some of his ink lines with opaque white—something a traditional Chinese artist would never do—to prevent linear patterns from predominating over the illusion of light reflected from the water. In contrast to the literati objective of capturing the essence of the natural world through abstract calligraphic brushwork, Wu exploited the tension between abstraction and the vivid evocation of three-dimensional forms to create an intensely personal encounter with nature.
Artwork Details
- 近代 吳冠中 北戴河圖 軸
- 近代 吳冠中 北戴河 軸
- Title: Seascape at Beidaihe
- Artist: Wu Guanzhong (Chinese, 1919–2010)
- Date: September 1977
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 38 × 45 3/8 in. (96.5 × 115.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 81 × 46 7/8 in. (205.7 × 119.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 81 × 51 1/4 in. (205.7 × 130.2 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.431
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Wu Guanzhong
20th century
On loan to The Met
Wu Guanzhong
1987
Yi Yong-u (artist name: Mungno)
probably 1940s
Chae Yongsin (artist name: Seokji)
dated by inscription to 1924
China
Stele: Song dynasty (960–1279), 960–68; rubbing: 20th century
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