In 1921, Sanyu arrived in Paris, a post-war capital with an uninhibited desire for pleasure, and experienced first-hand the birth of many artistic and cultural movements that became the foundations of Modernism. Sanyu enrolled in the La Grande Chaumière in Montparnasse, a drawing studio known for its unstructured environment that rejected the institutional styles, and entered a period of free and unrestricted artistic exploration. Executed during 1920s and 30s, Woman in Dotted Yellow Dress (LOT 1011) is an elegant work that reflects the carefree, impetuous spirit that saturated Paris during the Roaring Twenties, and in Sanyu, a young artist that saw endless possibilities in the future.

With short sleek wavy hair, the subject of the drawing is adorned in a dotted yellow dress that was fashionable among the Flappers. The modern women, along with nude female figures, were common subjects of Sanyu’s drawings produced during this period. His subjects were a direct reflection of the artist’s practices and inspiration at that time, which includes drawing nude figures in class, and spending his free time in Parisian cafes drawing people that caught his eyes. Engrossed in the book in her hand, the figure in Woman in Dotted Yellow Dress was a quintessential representation of Sanyu’s immersion in the city of modern Paris.

Trained in classic Chinese calligraphy by his father, Sanyu often used Chinese shuimo (ink) painting tools and techniques for his figurative sketches, distinguishing himself from his peers in La Grande Chaumière. As seen in this painting, Sanyu’s calligraphic brushstrokes spontaneously yet meticulously depicts the silhouette of the figure, emphasizing the fluidity of the human body. The crisp outline reflects the artist’s confidence in execution that had built up through constant sketching. In this drawing, one can see Sanyu’s confidence and familiarity with both Western subjects and Chinese artistic techniques, which laid the indispensable foundation for his later stylistic developments.

Offering a glimpse into Sanyu's care-free early years in Paris, this work has been in the same private collection for over half century, and this will be the first time this work has been presented at auction.

一九二一年，常玉越洋抵達巴黎，這個紙醉金迷的城市是戰後眾多藝術文化運動的搖籃，開創了現代主義的先河。常玉報讀的大茅舍藝術學院位於蒙帕納斯，那裡有別於傳統學院的自由風氣使他可以自由地探索藝術世界。《圓點黃洋裝女士》（拍品編號1011）創作於二〇至三〇年代，這幅雅緻小品展示了巴黎在咆哮的二十年代裡無憂無慮、隨心所欲的氛圍，同時亦反映了年輕的常玉對未來的無盡期盼。

畫中的女子留著一頭時髦的齊耳鬈髮，身上的圓點黃洋裝是二十年代在「飛來波女郎」（the Flappers）之間風靡一時的時尚款式。現代女性和裸女都是這個時期常玉筆下常見的題材。常玉此時常會在課上繪畫裸女素描，或者在空餘時間到巴黎的咖啡廳速寫人物。黃衣女子正在全神貫注地閱讀手上的書本，從這種觀察入微的細節可見，常玉已經完全投入了巴黎的現代都市生活。

常玉自幼在父親教導下習得傳統書法，因此他常以水墨與毛筆來速寫人物，這一獨特手法使他在大茅舍藝術學院的同輩中脫穎而出。在本作中，常玉以一氣呵成的水墨筆法，流暢卻不乏細緻地勾勒出黃衣女子的輪廓，凸顯其優美體態。他勤練人物寫生，對人體的刻畫可謂游刃有餘，此畫中的俐落線條就是藝術家自信心的體現。由此可見，常玉對西方創作題材和中國藝術技巧駕馭自如，而這兩者也在後來成為他不可或缺的風格奠基石。

《圓點黃洋裝女士》紀錄下常玉在二〇年代於巴黎隨心所欲，專注藝術創作的日子。而本作於原藏家家族珍藏長逾半世紀，將在本次晚拍首登拍場，實屬難得可貴。