Lot 231: WU DAYU

WU DAYU 1903-1988 RHYTHM oil on canvas 53 by 38.5 cm.; 20 7/8 by 15 1/8 in.

Exhibition of Wu Da-yu's Paintings, National Museum of History, 2001, p. 52
Wu Da-yu, Lin & Keng Gallery, 2006, p.112
Artist Wu Da-yu, Shanghai Oil Painting & Sculpture Institute, 2003, p.156

There is one universal rule in Wu Dayu's technique of expression in his work: all the symbols shown in the picture, either evident or indistinct, are inspired from nature and expressed through his emotions. In addition, the pursuit and expression of spirit, momentum and charm in his work is also one of his distinctive characteristics. The beauty of fluidity shown in the picture is closer to music and is a music scale full of emotions. Dayu himself named it "moving images", which means the images that are in motion. As for the colors in his work, it could be said to have reached perfection. His colors are not only expressions of emotions and aspirations, but also a sound hammer that strikes on people's hearts. Therefore, Lin Fengmian once praised that Wu Dayu is "an extraordinary painter of colors with great creativity." Works of his later period, with strong personal style, remove the border between abstraction and figurative, in which "existence" co-exists with "nihility"; object abides with self.