Page 115 - Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Paintings July 8th, 2020 Hong Kong

Wu Guanzhong’s fascination with the Yulong Mountains in Yunnan came from a
postcard featuring a sketch of the sweeping alps by his former classmate, Li Lincan,
who later became the deputy director of the Taipei National Palace Museum. It was
not until almost half a century later that Wu finally visited the legendary site on a
sketching trip.
Wu began to create in ink and paper in 1974. Through an inexhaustive creative
process the shadow of his oil paintings slowly faded to give way to Wu’s distinct visual
identity in his ink paintings. By integrating Western principles of form and colour
and the Chinese pursuits of artistic conception and charm, he conceived a unique and
modern semi-abstract artistic style.
Wu Guanzhong painted the current work ten years after his first visit to the Yulong
Mountains. Throughout the composition Wu painted blocks in ink of varying shades,
resembling the monochromatic limestone and basalt rock walls of Yulong. To balance
the black and white contrast, Wu added a radiant yellow moon and light patches of
pink, green and yellow that could be reflections of the moonlight and vegetations
on the hillside. Wu used simple and carefree brushstrokes to create rhythmic lines
to convey the gentleness of the landscape. The vista is expanded with his fluid lines
capturing the moment as the Yulong Mountains reveal itself in the moonlight.

吳冠中筆下創作出了許多以玉龍山為主題的作品。他對於玉龍山的嚮往與迷戀
源自於求學時期的同窗友人李霖燦（後任國立故宮博物院副院長）以鋼筆速寫
於明信片上的玉龍山景色。相隔近半世紀，吳冠中的玉龍山寫生之旅終於在
1978年成行。
吳冠中於1974年開始創作水墨作品，在不斷的創作實踐中，逐漸走出了自己油
畫風格的影子。他融合了西方藝術中對形與色創作的形式以及中國藝術中尋求
意境及神韻的捕捉，使其水墨作品走出了獨立與創造的現代之路，創作出一種
半抽象式的藝術風格。

此幅作品《月下玉龍山》創作於吳冠中赴玉龍山寫生的十年後。畫面中，白雪
皚皚，明月皎潔，遠景以淡墨細筆勾勒出山脈的輪廓曲線，中景與前景處以富
有濃淡層次的灰墨色塊及粗筆線條呈現出玉龍山石灰岩及玄武岩黑白分明的岩
壁特質。儘管玉龍山主體幾乎佔據了整體畫幅，吳冠中運用簡潔的筆觸、黑白
的對比布局及富含律動的線條，將畫面的韻律結構及空間感做到了最大化的膨
脹與飽滿，創作出柔和舒暢的畫面，凝結了月下玉龍山倏忽顯現的片刻。

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