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【藝術 · 感】

【Beauty and Purity】 - Sanyu


常玉 1895-1966
常玉

Inner World

 

1. Loneliness and Desolation: Sanyu experienced significant ups and downs during his life in Paris. Despite his affluent family background in the early years, his financial situation took a drastic turn for the worse due to family changes, making life difficult. These feelings of loneliness and desolation profoundly influenced his artistic creation.


2. Spiritual Freedom: Sanyu insisted on his own path in art, pursuing spiritual freedom. He chose not to attend art academies for further study but instead painted in cafes while reading "Dream of the Red Chamber" or playing the violin. This free lifestyle is also reflected in his paintings.


3. Sensitivity and Purity: Sanyu was described as sensitive, willful, and immersed in beauty and purity. He lived in his own world, and these characteristics made his paintings full of unique emotions and charm.

 



Artistic Characteristics - Sanyu

 

1. Themes:


Sanyu's paintings primarily focused on female nudes, flowers, and animals. These themes not only represent his desires and love for the world but also reflect his noble spiritual world and sense of displacement.


Female Nudes:


Symbolize his desire and love for the world.


Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty

Nude with Legs Raised
Nude with Legs Raised

Four Female Nudes
Four Female Nudes

 

Flowers:


Represent a noble spiritual world and a sense of displacement. In Sanyu's still life works like "Chrysanthemums in a Vase," the flowers often appear lonely and weak, evoking a sense of desolation, much like a child who has lost their mother, bringing about a chilling feeling of "a lonely moon accompanies the autumn cold, cold and desolate."


Blue and White Porcelain with Chrysanthemums
Blue and White Porcelain with Chrysanthemums
Lotus
Lotus

Animals:


Often depict vast lands, ancient paths, or endless yellow sands, conveying a sense of desolation. The animals in his paintings appear lonely and small in the vast sky, reflecting his loneliness and sorrow in his later years.


Herdsman and Water Buffalo
Herdsman and Water Buffalo

Cat Sitting on a Chair
Cat Sitting on a Chair



2. Style:


 Sanyu's painting style is stable and unique. His works can be summarized into two phases: the "Pink Period" and the "Black Period," showcasing his unique use of color and lines. His works may seem naive but hide a pure heart of the artist.


Fawn
Fawn
White Vase with Pink Chrysanthemums
White Vase with Pink Chrysanthemums



 





















3. Black Period:



Potted Chrysanthemums
Potted Chrysanthemums

Connection Between Inner World and Paintings

 

Sanyu's inner world is closely connected to his paintings. His emotions of loneliness, desolation, spiritual freedom, sensitivity, and purity are all manifested through his artwork. His works are not just representations of the objective world but a true reflection of his inner world. Through the depiction of female nudes, flowers, and animals, he expressed his desire, love, and compassion for the world, while also showcasing his noble spiritual world and lonely living state.

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