Wu Zuoren

signed in Chinese and dated 1956
executed in 1956. 

Private Asian Collection

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of soft craquelure along the edges of the painting, primarily at the lower right corner. There is no evidence of restoration under UV.
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As China's second generation of artists who studied abroad, Wu Zouren has made a tremendous contribution to Chinese nationalization oil painting. He was the principal of China Central of Academy of Fine Arts. Awarded the French Literature and Arts Medal of Honour and Belgium Order of the Crown, he became the first Chinese citizen who won these two highest awards. In his later years, he founded Wu Zouren International Foundation of Fine Arts in order to nurture the next generation of artists. Wu is a true art master who plays an important role in China's history of modern art and education.

Wu received an orthodox academic training in Belgium that has influenced his drive for strong Realism in his work by integrating Social realism to depict social theme and concerns of working class activities. Nevertheless when he returned to China, he realized Western paintings could never fully present tradition Chinese landscape and its local customs. As a result, he tried to observe the natural scene and painted on the spot to record a landscape's appearance to meld the lyrical spirit of traditional Chinese painting with the realism in Western painting to create a unique painting style. 

Landscape was completed in 1956. Wu uses flowing and detailed brushstrokes to render the terrain features, the tree branch and the branch crotch. The result is an expressive countryside full of oriental poetic charm.